Neuron-glia interaction at the receptor level affects olfactory perception in adult .

Some types of glia play an active role in neuronal signaling by modifying their activity although little is known about their role in sensory information signaling at the receptor level. In this research, we report a functional role for the glia that surround the soma of the olfactory receptor neurons (OSNs) in adult . Specific genetic modifications have been targeted to this cell type to obtain live individuals who are tested for olfactory preference and display changes both increasing and reducing sensitivity.

The Ntan1 gene is expressed in perineural glia and neurons of adult Drosophila.

The Drosophila Ntan1 gene encodes an N-terminal asparagine amidohydrolase that we show is highly conserved throughout evolution. Protein isoforms share more than 72% of similarity with their human counterparts. At the cellular level, this gene regulates the type of glial cell growth in Drosophila larvae by its different expression levels.

Validation of an Optogenetic Approach to the Study of Olfactory Behavior in the T-Maze of Adults.

Optogenetics enables the alteration of neural activity using genetically targeted expression of light activated proteins for studying behavioral circuits in several species including . The main idea behind this approach is to replace the native behavioral stimulus by the light-induced electrical activation of different points of the circuit. Therefore, its effects on subsequent steps of the circuit or on the final behavior can be analyzed.