Contact Information

(267) 519-4795

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.

Detailed description of research program

Keywords

olfaction, single cell electrophysiology, signal transduction, ion channels

Recent Publications

Ghatpande, A. and Reisert, J. (2011) “Olfactory receptor neuron responses coding for rapid odor sampling.” Journal of Physiology. 589, 2261-2273.

Jaén, C.; Ozdener, M. H. and Reisert, J. (2011) “Mechanisms of chloride uptake in frog olfactory receptor neurons.” Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 197, 339-349.

Antolin, S.; Reisert, J. and Matthews, H. R. (2010) “Olfactory response termination involves Ca2+-ATPase in vertebrate olfactory receptor neuron cilia.” Journal of General Physiology. 135, 367-78.

Bhandawhat, V.; Reisert, J. and Yau, K. W. (2010) “Signaling by olfactory receptor neurons near threshold.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 107, 18682-87.

Reisert, J. (2010) “Origin of basal activity in mammalian olfactory receptor neurons.” Journal of General Physiology. 136, 529-40.

Reisert, J. and Restrepo, D. (2009) “Molecular tuning of odorant receptors and its implication for odor signal processing.” Chemical Senses. 34.7, 535-45.

Stephan, A. B.; Shum, E. Y.; Hirsh, S.; Cygnar, K. D.; Reisert, J. and Zhao, H. (2009) “ANO2 is the cilial calcium-activated chloride channel that may mediate olfactory amplification.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 106.28, 11776-81.

Song, Y.; Cygnar, K. D.; Sagdullaev, B.; Valley, M.; Hirsh, S.; Stephan, A.; Reisert, J. and Zhao, H. (2008) “Olfactory CNG channel desensitization by Ca2+/CaM via the B1b subunit affects response termination but not sensitvity to recurring stimulation.” Neuron. 58, 374-86.