Publications by authors named "S Pifferi"
Article Synopsis
- The sympathetic nervous system enhances sensory detection and prepares organs for alertness, influencing how we sense our environment.
- The study focused on noradrenaline (NA) and its effect on vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs), which are crucial for sensing pheromones and other chemical signals.
- Findings revealed that NA boosts the activity of VSNs through alpha 1 adrenergic receptors, indicating a significant role of NA in regulating sensory processing and the connection between the sympathetic system and chemosensation.
Mammalian olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) generate an odorant-induced response by sequentially activating two ion channels, which are in their ciliary membranes. First, a cationic, Ca-permeable cyclic nucleotide-gated channel is opened following odorant stimulation via a G protein-coupled transduction cascade and an ensuing rise in cAMP. Second, the increase in ciliary Ca opens the excitatory Ca-activated Cl channel TMEM16B, which carries most of the odorant-induced receptor current.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemical senses allow animals to detect and discriminate a vast array of molecules. The olfactory system is responsible of the detection of small volatile molecules, while water dissolved molecules are detected by taste buds in the oral cavity. Moreover, many animals respond to signaling molecules such as pheromones and other semiochemicals through the vomeronasal organ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Transmembrane protein 16F (TMEM16F) is a calcium-activated protein that works as both an ion channel and a phospholipid scramblase, showing diverse structural forms that impact its function.
- Using atomic force microscopy, researchers observed various TMEM16F assemblies that have not been seen in previous high-resolution studies, revealing different dimerization and protomer orientations.
- The study establishes a link between calcium-induced activation and structural changes in TMEM16F, suggesting that its conformational diversity plays a crucial role in its physiological activities, particularly in lipid and ion transport.