Molecular study of receptors in the mammalian Olfactory System.

• Grant number: 10/01211-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: February 29, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Papes
• Grantee: Leonardo Minete Cardozo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/00473-0 - Molecular biology of the olfactory system in mammals: study on the detection of odors and their neural representation in the brain, AP.JP

Abstract

A fundamental property of the nervous system in all species is the transformation of sensory stimulation into neural activity, leading to endocrine and behavioral changes. The olfactory system stands out due to its molecular complexity, detection capacity and the modulation of innate behaviors. However, little is known of how this system detects, processes and interprets chemosignals from the environment. In this project, we intend to study the molecular logic of odorant detection, through the identification of molecular receptors in the sensory organ. To achieve this goal, we will identify receptors involved in the detection of odors which elicit a specific behavior, namely, innate fear behavior induced by kairomone stimuli. Several fundamental questions about the olfactory system will be explored in this project: Is there more than one receptor for each odor? Are similar odors detected by the same or similar receptors? Are odors that elicit different behaviors detected by distinct classes of receptors? Such questions will help in the understanding of how patterns of receptor activity lead to brain processing of sensory information to appropriately induce a specific behavior. Such knowledge may eventually lead to the development of new drugs and therapies to modulate/treat behavioral diseases in humans.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE ANDRADE CARVALHO, VINICIUS MIESSLER; NAKAHARA, THIAGO SEIKE; DE ANDRADE SOUZA, MATEUS AUGUSTO; CARDOZO, LEONARDO MINETE; TRINTINALIA, GUILHERME ZIEGLER; PISSINATO, LEONARDO GRANATO; VENANCIO, JOSE OTAVIO; STOWERS, LISA; PAPES, FABIO. Representation of Olfactory Information in Organized Active Neural Ensembles in the Hypothalamus. CELL REPORTS, v. 32, n. 8, AUG 25 2020. (10/01211-7, 12/04026-1, 13/03372-6, 15/50371-0, 12/01689-0, 14/25594-3, 09/00473-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CARDOZO, Leonardo Minete. Identification of molecular receptors for ligands detected by the Vomeronasal Organ. 2012. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.