Abstract
The interaction of an odorant molecule with the membrane of an olfactory neurone initiates a series of membrane phenomena associated with sensory transduction and subsequent electrical events. The binding of odorants to receptor molecules, believed to be a reversible reaction (Brand and Bruch, (Chapter 7 herein), in turn causes conformational changes of the receptor membrane leading to spike generation in the sensory cell. The electrical signal is subsequently transmitted to the higher-order nervous system, where the sensory perception of odours is produced.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adamek, G.D., Gesteland, R.C., Mair, R.G. and Oakley, B. (1984) Transduction physiology of olfactory receptor cilia. Brain Res. Amst., 310, 87–97.
Adrian, E.D. and Ludwig, C. (1938) Nervous discharges from the olfactory organs of fish. J. Physiol., Lond., 94, 441–60.
Allison, A.C. (1953) The morphology of the olfactory system in the vertebrates. Biol. Rev., 28, 195–244.
Beidler, L.M. (1954) A theory of taste stimulation. J. gen. Physiol., 38, 133–9.
Belghaug, R. and Döving, K.B. (1977) Odour threshold determined by studies of the induced waves in the olfactory bulb of the char (Salmo alpinus). Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 57A, 327–30.
Boeynaems, J.M. and Dumont, J.E. (1980) Outlines of Receptor Theory, Elsevier/North-Holland, Amsterdam, 226 pp.
Boudreau, J.C. (1962) Electrical activity in the olfactory tract of the catfish. Jap. J. Physiol., 12, 272–8.
Caprio, J. (1978) Olfaction and taste in the channel catfish: an electrophysiological study of the responses to amino acids and derivatives.J. comp. Physiol., 123A, 357–71.
Caprio, J. (1980) Similarity of olfactory receptor responses (EOG) of freshwater and marine catfish to amino acids. Can. J. Zool., 58, 1778–84.
Caprio, J. (1984) Olfaction and taste in fish, in Comparative Physiology of Sensory Systems (eds L. Bolis, R.D. Keynes and S.H.P. Madrell), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 257–83.
Caprio, J. (1988) Peripheral filters and chemoreceptor cells in fishes, in Sensory Biology of Aquatic Animals (eds J. Atema, R.R. Fay, A.N. Popper and W.N. Tavolga), Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 313–38.
Caprio, J. and Byrd, R.P., jun. (1984) Electrophysiological evidence for acidic, basic, and neutral amino acid olfactory receptor sites in the catfish. J. gen. Physiol., 84, 403–22.
Caprio, J., Dudek, J. and Robinson, J.J. II (1989) Electro-olfactogram and multiunit olfactory receptor responses to binary and trinary mixtures of amino acids in the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. J. gen. Physiol., 93, 245–62.
Demski, L.S. and Northcutt, R.G. (1983) The terminal nerve: a new chemosensory system in vertebrates? Science, Wash., D.C., 202, 435–7.
Döving, K.B. and Gemne, G. (1965) Electrophysiological and histological properties of the olfactory tract of the burbot (Lota lota L.). J. Neurophysiol., 28, 139–53.
Döving, K.B. and Holmberg, K. (1974) A note on the function of the olfactory organ of the hagfish Myxine glutinosa. Acta physiol. scand., 91, 430–2.
Döving, K.B. and Selset, R. (1980) Behavior patterns in cod released by electrical stimulation of olfactory tract bundlets. Science, Wash., B.C., 207, 559–60.
Döving, K.B., Selset, R., and Thommesen, G. (1980) Olfactory sensitivity to bile acids in salmonid fishes. Acta physiol. scand., 108, 123–31.
Drongelen, W. van, Holley, A. and Döving, K.B. (1978) Convergence in the olfactory system: quantitative aspects of odour sensitivity. J. theor. Biol. 71, 39–48.
Erickson, J.R. and Caprio, J. (1984) The spatial distribution of ciliated and microvillous olfactory receptor neurons in the channel catfish is not matched by a differential specificity to amino acid and bile salt stimuli. Chem. Senses, 9,127–41.
Evans, R.E. and Hara, T.J. (1985) The characteristics of the electro-olfactogram (EOG): its recovery following olfactory nerve section in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). Brain Res. Amst., 330, 65–75.
Fujita, I., Sorensen, P.W., Stacey, N.E. and Hara, T.J. (1991) The olfactory system not the terminal nerve, functions as the primary chemosensory pathway mediating responses to sex pheromones in male goldfish. Brain Behav. Evol., 38, 313–21.
Gardner, W.S. and Lee, G.F. (1975) The role of amino acids in the nitrogen cycle of Lake Mendota. Limnol. Oceanogr., 20, 379–88.
Gemne, G. and Döving, K.B. (1969) Ultrastructural properties of primary olfactory neurons in fish (Lota lota L.). Am. J. Anat., 126, 457–76.
Getchell, T.V. (1974) Electrogenic sources of slow voltage transients recorded from frog olfactory epithelium. J. Neurophysiol., 37, 1115–30.
Goh, Y. and Tamura, T. (1978) The electrical responses of the olfactory tract to amino acids in carp. Bull Jap. Soc. scient. Fish., 44, 341–4.
Goh, Y. and Tamura, T. (1980) Olfactory and gustatory responses to amino acids in two marine teleosts-red sea bream and mullet. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 66C, 217–24.
Goh, Y., Tamura, T. and Kobayashi, H. (1979) Olfactory responses to amino acids in marine teleosts. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 62A, 863–8.
Hara, T.J. (1972) Electrical responses of the olfactory bulb of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and Oncorhynchus kisutch. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can., 29, 1351–5.
Hara, T.J. (1973) Olfactory responses to amino acids in rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 44A, 407–16.
Hara, T.J. (1975) Olfaction in fish, in Progress in Neurobiology (eds G.A. Kerkut and J.W. Phillis), Pergamon, Oxford, pp. 271–335.
Hara, T.J. (ed.) (1982a) Chemoreception in Fishes, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 334 pp.
Hara, T.J. (1982b) Structure-activity relationships of amino acids as olfactory stimuli, in Chemoreception in Fishes (ed. T.J. Hara), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp.135–58.
Hara, T.J. (1986) Role of olfaction in fish behaviour, in The Behaviour ofTeleost Fishes (ed. T.J. Pitcher), Croom Helm, London, pp. 152–76.
Hara, T.J. and Zielinski, B. (1989) Structural and functional development of the olfactory organ in teleosts. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 118, 183–94.
Hara, T.J., Law, Y.M.C. and Hobden, B.R. (1973) Comparison of the olfactory response to amino acids in rainbow trout, brook trout, and whitefish. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 45A, 969–77.
Hara, T.J., Macdonald, S., Evans, R.E., Marui, T. and Arai, S. (1984) Morpholine, bile acids and skin mucus as possible chemical cues in salmonid homing: electrophysiological re-evaluation, in Mechanisms of Migration in Fishes (eds J.D. McCleave, G.P. Arnold, J.J. Dodson and W.H. Neill), Plenum, New York, pp. 363–78.
Hara, T.J., Sveinsson, T., Evans, R.E. and Klaprat, D.A. (1989) Morphological and functional characteristics of the chemosensory organs of Canadian charr species. Physiol. Ecol Jpn, Spec. Vol. 1, 506.
Kashiwayanagi, M., Shoji, T. and Kurihara, K. (1988) Large olfactory responses of the carp after complete removal of olfactory cilia. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun.,154, 437–42.
Kitamura, S. and Ogata, H. (1990) Olfactory responses of male loach, Misgurnus anguillicadatus, to F-type prostaglandins. Taste and Smell, 24, 163–6.
Kobayashi, H. and Fujiwara, K. (1987) Olfactory response in the yellowtail Seriola quinquerradiata. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi, 53, 1717–25.
Kobayashi, H. and Goh, Y. (1985) Comparison of the olfactory responses to amino acids obtained from receptor and bulbar levels in a marine teleost. Exp. Biol., 44, 199-210.
Kyle, A.L., Stacey, N.E. and Peter, R.E. (1982) Ventral telencephalic lesions: effects on bisexual behaviour, activity, and olfaction in the male goldfish. Behav. Neural Biol., 36, 229–41.
Kyle, A.L., Sorensen, P.W., Stacey, N.E. and Dulka, J.G. (1987) Medial olfactory tract pathways controlling sexual reflexes and behavior in teleosts, in The Terminal Nerve (nervus terminalis). Structure, Function and Evolution (eds L.S. Demski and M. Schwanzel-Fukuda), New York Academy of Science, New York, pp. 97–107.
Nakamura, T. and Gold, G.H. (1987) A cyclic nucleotide-gated conductance in olfactory receptor cilia. Nature, Lond., 325, 442–4.
Nieuwenhuys, R. (1967) Comparative anatomy of olfactory centres and tracts, in Progress in Brain Research. Vol. 23 (ed. Y. Zotterman), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 1–64.
Ohno, T., Yoshii, K. and Kurihara, K. (1984) Multiple receptor type for amino acids in the carp olfactory cells revealed by quantitative cross-adaptation method. Brain Res. Amst., 310, 13–21.
Ottoson, D. (1956) Analysis of the electrical activity of the olfactory epithelium. Acta physiol. scand., 35 (Supp. 122), 1–83.
Ottoson, D. (1959a) Studies on slow potentials in the rabbit’s olfactory bulb and nasal mucosa. Acta physiol. scand., 47, 136–48.
Ottoson, D. (1959b) Comparison of slow potentials evoked in the frog’s nasal mucosa and olfactory bulb by natural stimulation. Acta physiol. scand., 47, 149–59.
Ottoson, D. (1971) The electro-olfactogram, in Handbook of Sensory Physiology. Vol. 4, Part 1 (ed. L.M. Beidler), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 95–131.
Resink, J.W., Voorthuis, P.K., Hurk, R. van den, Peters, R.C. and Oordt, P.W.J, van (1989) Steroid glucuronides of the seminal vesicle as olfactory stimuli in African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Aquaculture, 83, 153–66.
Sato, Y. and Suzuki, N. (1969) Single unit analysis of the olfactory tract of the crucian carp. J. Fac. Sci. Hokkaido Univ., Ser. 6, 17, 208–23.
Satou, M., Shiraishi, A., Matsushima, T. and Okumoto, N. (1991) Vibrational communication during spawning behaviour in the himé salmon (landlocked red salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka). J. comp. Physiol. A, 168, 417–28.
Satou, M., Takeuchi, H., Takei, K., Hasegawa, T., Okumoto, N. and Ueda, K. (1987) Involvement of vibrational and visual cues in eliciting spawning behaviour in male hime salmon (landlocked red salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka). Anim. Behav., 35, 1556–8.
Sheldon, R.E. (1912) The olfactory tracts and centers in teleosts. J. comp. Neurol., 22,177–339.
Silver, W.L. (1979) Olfactory responses from a marine elasmobranch, the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina. Mar. Behav. Physiol., 6, 297–305.
Silver, W.L. (1982) Electrophysiological responses from the peripheral olfactory system of the American eel, Anguilla rostrata. J. comp. Physiol., 148A, 379–88.
Silver, W.L., Caprio, J., Blackwell, J.F. and Tucker, D. (1976) The underwater electro-olfactogram: a tool for the study of the sense of smell of marine fishes. Experientia, 32, 1216–17.
Sorensen, P.W., Hara, T.J. and Stacey, N.E. (1987) Extreme olfactory sensitivity of mature and gonadally-regressed goldfish to a potent steroidal pheromone, 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one. J. comp. Physiol., 160A, 305–13.
Sorensen, P.W., Hara, T.J. and Stacey, N.E. (1991) Sex pheromones selectively stimulate the medial olfactory tracts of male goldfish. Brain Res. Amst., 558, 343–7.
Sorensen, P.W., Hara, T.J., Stacey, N.E. and Dulka, J.G. (1990) Extreme olfactory specificity of male goldfish to the preovulatory steroidal pheromone 17α,20β-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one. J. comp. Physiol., 166A, 373–83.
Sorensen, P.W., Hara, T.J., Stacey, N.E. and Goetz, F.W. (1988) F prostaglandins function as potent olfactory stimulants that comprise the postovulatory female sex pheromone in goldfish. Biol. Reprod., 39, 1039–50.
Stacey, N.E. and Kyle, A.L. (1983) Effects of olfactory tract lesions on sexual and feeding behavior in the goldfish. Physiol. Behav., 30, 621–8.
Sutterlin, A.M. and Sutterlin, N. (1971) Electrical responses of the olfactory epithelium of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). J. Fish. Res. Bd Can., 28, 565–72.
Suzuki, N. (1977) Intracellular responses of lamprey olfactory receptors to current and chemical stimulation, in Food Intake and Chemical Senses (eds Y. Katsuki, M. Sato, S.F. Takagi and Y. Oomura), University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp. 13–22.
Suzuki, N. (1978) Effects of different ionic environments on the responses of single olfactory receptors in the lamprey. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 61 A, 461–7.
Suzuki, N. (1982) Responses of olfactory receptor cells to electrical and chemical stimulation, in Chemoreception in Fishes (ed. T.J. Hara), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp.93–108.
Suzuki, N. and Tucker, D. (1971) Amino acids as olfactory stimuli in freshwater catfish, Ictalurus catus (Linn.). Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 40A, 399–404.
Sveinsson, T. and Hara, T.J. (1990a) Analysis of olfactory responses to amino acids in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) using a linear multiple-receptor model. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 97A, 279–87.
Sveinsson, T, and Hara, T.J. (1990b) Multiple olfactory receptors for amino acids in Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) evidenced by cross-adaptation experiments. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 97A, 289–93.
Thommesen, G. (1978) The spatial distribution of odour induced potentials in the olfactory bulb and char and trout (Salmonidae). Acta physiol. scand., 102, 205–17.
Thommesen, G. (1982) Specificity and distribution of receptor cells in the olfactory mucosa of char (Salmo alpinus L.). Acta physiol. scand., 115, 47–56.
Thommesen, G. (1983) Morphology, distribution, and specificity of olfactory receptor cells in salmonid fishes. Acta physiol. scand., 117, 241–9.
Wysocki, C.J. and Meredith, M. (1987) The vomeronasal system, in Neurobiology of Taste and Smell (eds T.E. Finger and W.L. Silver), Wiley-Interscience, New York, pp. 125–50.
Yamaguchi, K., Satou, M. and Ueda, K. (1988) Induced wave and its generation mechanism in the carp olfactory bulb. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 89A, 605–8.
Yamaguchi, K. and Ueda, K. (1984) Rhythmic discharge of mitral cells in the carp olfactory bulb. Brain Res. Amst., 322, 378–81.
Yamamoto, M. (1982) Comparative morphology of the peripheral olfactory organ in teleosts, in Chemoreception in Fishes (ed. T.J. Hara), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 39–60.
Zeiske, E., Caprio, J. and Gruber, S.H. (1986) Morphological and electrophysiological studies on the olfactory organ of the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris (Poey), in Indo-Paciflc Fish Biology: Proc. Second Int. Conf. Indo-Pacific Fishes (eds T. Uyeno, R. Arai, T. Taniuchi and K. Mutsuura), Ichthyological Society of Japan, Tokyo, pp. 381–91.
Zielinski, B. and Hara, T.J. (1988) Morphological and physiological development of olfactory receptor cells in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) embryos. J. comp. Neurol., 271, 300–11.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hara, T.J. (1992). Mechanisms of olfaction. In: Hara, T.J. (eds) Fish Chemoreception. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2332-7_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2332-7_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5030-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2332-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive