Mode of action of straight chain hydrocarbons on primary chemoreceptors of the blowfly, Phormia regina
✍ Scribed by Richard A. Steinhardt; Hiromichi Morita; Edward S. Hodgson
- Book ID
- 102881761
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1966
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 748 KB
- Volume
- 67
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0021-9541
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The fundamental actions of straight-chain hydrocarbons on the three known primary chemoreceptor cell types of the blowfly, Phormia regina, were studied in quantitative terms. Lower alcohols and long-chain amines act in two stages: first a reversible inhibition, and then injury, of the salt, water, and sugar receptors in the labellar sensilla. The primary effects on salt and water receptors resemble hydrocarbon narcosis of nerve. Effects on sugar receptors, when analyzed kinetically, superficially resemble competitive inhibition. Other evidence, however, indicates that a non-specific effect on sugar receptor sites is more likely. The electrophysiological results from labellar chemoreceptors indicate that the previously reported hydrocarbon behavioral rejection thresholds are best explained by the inhibition of the sugar receptors. This conclusion is strengthened by further electrophysiological and behavioral tests on tarsal chemoreceptors.