Johannes Reisert

Associate Member

Education

Ph.D., Physiology; University of Cambridge

Research Summary

My laboratory investigates one of the first steps in olfactory perception: the conversion of an odorous stimulus into a nerve signal. Olfactory receptor neurons located in the nose detect odorants and generate the electrical response, which is then conveyed to the brain for further processing. The focus of my research is to understand 1) how olfactory receptor neurons code odor signals of different odorants and, 2) the cellular mechanisms that lead to the generation and termination of those responses. We also are interested in investigating the contribution of olfactory receptor neurons to olfactory adaptation, which is the waning of our perception of odorants over time. My approach uses both electrophysiological and cell imaging techniques to address these question.

Keywords

olfaction, single cell electrophysiology, signal transduction, ion channels

Recent Publications

Reisert, J. & Restrepo, D. (2009). Molecular tuning of odorant receptors and its implication for odor signal processing. Chemical Senses, 34, 535-545.

Stephan, A. B., Shum, E. Y., Hirsh, S., Cygnar, K. D., Reisert, J., & Zhao, H. (2009). ANO2 is the cilial calcium-activated chloride channel that may mediate olfactory amplification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 106, 11776-11781.

Reisert, & Margolis, F. L. (2008). Olfactory marker protein: a gift to molecular biologists, an enigma to physiologists, Physiology News, 73, 27-29.

Song, Y., Cygnar, K. D., Sagdullaev, B., Valley, M., Hirsh, S., Stephen, A., Reisert, J, Zhao, H. (2008). Ca2+/calmodulin-mediated fast desensitization by the B1b subunit of the CNG channel affects response termination but not sensitivity to recurring stimulation in olfactory sensory neurons. Neuron, 58, 374-386.

Reisert, J., Yau, K. W. & Margolis, F. L. (2007). Olfactory marker protein modulates the cAMP kinetics of the odour-induced response in cilia of mouse olfactory receptor neurons, Journal of Physiology, 585, 731-740.

Michalakis, S., Reisert, J., Geiger, H., Wetzel, C., Zong, X., Bradley, J., Spehr, M., Hüttl, S., Gerstner, A., Pfeifer, A., Hatt, H., Yau, K. W. & Biel, M. (2006). Loss of CNGB1 protein leads to olfactory dysfunction and subciliary cyclic nucleotide-gated channel trapping. Journal of Biological Chemistry 281, 35156-35166

Bhandawat, V., Reisert, J. & Yau, K. W. (2005). Elementary response of olfactory receptor neurons to odorants. Science 308, 1931-1934.

Reisert, J., Lai, J., Yau, K. W. & Bradley, J. (2005). Mechanism of the excitatory Cl- response in mouse olfactory receptor neurons. Neuron 45, 553-561.