Collaborative Research: Analysis of the Mammalian Olfactory Code

合作研究：哺乳动物嗅觉密码分析

• 批准号: 1555952
• 负责人: Sriram Kosuri
• 金额: $ 141.77万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-11-01 至 2019-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1555952&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Analysis; Mammalian; Olfactory

This project was developed during a NSF Ideas Lab on "Cracking the Olfactory Code" and is jointly funded by the Chemistry of Life Processes program in the Chemistry Division, the Mathematical Biology program in the Division of Mathematical Sciences, the Physics of Living Systems program in the Physics Division, the Neural Systems Cluster in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, the Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Division of Emerging Frontiers.The mammalian sense of smell is arguably the most complex sensory system in the animal kingdom. Hundreds of olfactory receptors are deployed to detect a vast array of chemicals with exquisite sensitivity in complex environments. This collaborative project combines biochemistry, neurobiology, genomics, mathematics and new technologies to understand how the mammalian olfactory system detects, encodes and extracts meaning from chemical stimuli. The goals of this project are to: (1) elucidate fundamental neural mechanisms for how chemical sensation turns into the perception of a smell; (2) produce a vast array of scientific resources to olfactory scientists; (3) provide valuable information for broader audiences, including for molecular evolution, chemical ecology, and flavor and fragrance communities; (4) establish new technologies and mathematical frameworks to study biological systems; and (5) facilitate applied chemical sensing technologies for environmental monitoring, food safety, and homeland security. The project also offers training opportunities from the high school to the postdoctoral trainee level, and educational opportunities and outreach through partnerships with local science museums as well as science learning centers and their media outlets.This project's efforts are organized around three aims that focus on how information about odor identity and odor valence (attractiveness/aversiveness) is encoded at the level of olfactory receptors (Aim 1); within the olfactory bulb, where odor information is first processed (Aim 2); and the cortical amygdala, where odor codes may integrate with other information streams (Aim 3). Completion of the project entails the development and use a broad array of innovative approaches that include mapping all human and mouse odorant receptors to the chemicals they bind, defining the innate valence of these chemicals using behavioral assays, mapping all odorant receptor projections to the olfactory bulb, functionally characterizing their neural representations in the olfactory bulb and cortical amygdala, and using novel mathematical approaches to understand the underlying structure of odor coding and olfactory neural circuits at the level of sensory neurons, olfactory bulb glomeruli, and amygdala. Progress towards each aim involves close collaborations between team members with diverse expertise, including molecular biology, behavioral neuroscience, in vivo functional imaging, and mathematical and theoretical analysis of complex datasets. The multidisciplinary strategy implemented here promises to lead to an integrated and comprehensive understanding of how mammals sense and make sense of their chemical environments.

This project was developed during a NSF Ideas Lab on "Cracking the Olfactory Code" and is jointly funded by the Chemistry of Life Processes program in the Chemistry Division, the Mathematical Biology program in the Division of Mathematical Sciences, the Physics of Living Systems program in the Physics Division, the Neural Systems Cluster in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, the Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Division of Emerging Frontiers.The mammalian sense气味可以说是动物界最复杂的感觉系统。部署了数百种嗅觉受体，以检测在复杂环境中具有精致灵敏度的大量化学物质。该协作项目结合了生物化学，神经生物学，基因组学，数学和新技术，以了解哺乳动物嗅觉系统如何从化学刺激中检测，编码和提取含义。该项目的目标是：（1）阐明化学感觉如何变成气味的基本神经机制； （2）为嗅觉科学家生产大量的科学资源； （3）为更广泛的受众提供有价值的信息，包括分子进化，化学生态学以及风味和香水群落； （4）建立新技术和数学框架来研究生物系统； （5）促进用于环境监测，食品安全和国土安全的应用化学传感技术。该项目还提供了从高中到博士后学员水平的培训机会，以及与当地科学博物馆以及科学学习中心及其媒体渠道的伙伴关系的教育机会和拓展。该项目的努力围绕三个目标组织，围绕着三个目标，重点介绍了有关气味身份和异常价值（吸引力/厌恶性）的信息，该项目是如何在Olfactory（Olfactory of Olfactory的级别上）的。在嗅球内，首先处理气味信息（AIM 2）；以及皮质杏仁核，那里的气味代码可能与其他信息流集成（AIM 3）。该项目的完成需要开发并使用各种各样的创新方法，其中包括将所有人类和老鼠气味受体映射到它们所束缚的化学物质上，并使用行为测定法将这些化学物质的先天价定义，将所有odortion受体投影映射到嗅觉的嗅觉，并在功能上绘制嗅觉的方法，并在嗅觉中进行嗅觉，并使用olfactory Amygrb and cartactory Amyg andy Amygrb和c.气味编码和嗅觉神经回路的结构在感觉神经元，嗅球肾小球和杏仁核的水平上。朝着每个目标的进步涉及具有多种专业知识的团队成员之间的密切合作，包括分子生物学，行为神经科学，体内功能成像以及复杂数据集的数学和理论分析。这里实施的多学科策略有望导致对哺乳动物如何感知并了解其化学环境的综合而全面的理解。