Receptor guanylyl cyclase-G is a novel thermosensor in Grueneberg ganglion neurons involved in coolness-induced ultrasonic distress calls in mice

Yuh-Charn Lin,Ruey-Bing Yang,Chih-Cheng Chen,Joerg Fleischer,Heinz Breer,Ying-Chi Chao

doi:10.1186/2050-6511-14-s1-p14

Abstract

Background In mammals, detection of ambient temperatures is mainly mediated by thermosensory neurons residing in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and trigeminal ganglion (TG) [1-3]. Recently, neurons in the Grueneberg ganglion (GG) of the murine nasal vestibule have been found to be activated by cool temperatures [4,5]. Unlike coolness-sensitive cells in the DRG and TG, neurons in the GG lack the TRPM8 channel [6] which is considered as a principal detector of cold [1-3]. Therefore, GG neurons are supposedly endowed with a so far unknown thermosensor. Interestingly, coolness-sensitive GG neurons express signaling elements associated with cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), including the cGMP-activated ion channel CNGA3 and receptor guanylyl cyclase-G (GC-G) [6-8]. Recent observations suggest that cGMP signaling is crucial for thermotransduction in the GG [8]. However, whether GC-G directly acts as a temperature sensor remains elusive.

Highlights

In mammals, detection of ambient temperatures is mainly mediated by thermosensory neurons residing in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and trigeminal ganglion (TG) [1,2,3]
We show that guanylyl cyclase-G (GC-G) is a thermosensory receptor that can be maximally stimulated by cool temperatures of about
* Correspondence: rbyang@ibms.sinica.edu.tw 1Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan Full list of author information is available at the end of the article

Summary

Introduction

Detection of ambient temperatures is mainly mediated by thermosensory neurons residing in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and trigeminal ganglion (TG) [1,2,3]. Materials and methods A combination of biochemical and molecular biology methods, Ca2+ imaging as well as behavioural studies comparing wild-type and GC-G-knockout mice was used to elucidate the molecular and biological function of GC-G in sensing cool temperatures.

Results

Conclusion