Smelling better with chloride

Ca2+-activated Cl- current ensures robust and reliable signal amplification in vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons

Activation of most primary sensory neurons results in transduction currents that are carried by cations. One notable exception is the vertebrate olfactory receptor neuron (ORN), where the transduction current is carried largely by the anion [Formula: see text] However, it remains unclear why ORNs use an anionic current for signal amplification. We have sought to provide clarification on this topic by studying the so far neglected dynamics of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] in the small space of olfactory cilia during an odorant response. Using computational modeling and simulations we compared the outcomes of signal amplification based on either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] currents. We found that amplification produced by [Formula: see text] influx instead of a [Formula: see text] efflux is problematic for several reasons: First, the [Formula: see text] current amplitude varies greatly, depending on mucosal ion concentration changes. Second, a [Formula: see text] current leads to a large increase in the ciliary [Formula: see text] concentration during an odorant response. This increase inhibits and even reverses [Formula: see text] clearance by [Formula: see text] exchange, which is essential for response termination. Finally, a [Formula: see text] current increases the ciliary osmotic pressure, which could cause swelling to damage the cilia. By contrast, a transduction pathway based on [Formula: see text] efflux circumvents these problems and renders the odorant response robust and reliable.