The main olfactory system of mice contains a small subset of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that are stimulated by CO₂. The objective of this study was to record olfactory receptor responses to a range of CO₂ concentrations to further elucidate steps in the proposed CO₂ transduction pathway in mice. Electro-olfactograms (EOGs) were recorded before and after inhibiting specific steps in the CO₂ transduction pathway with topically applied inhibitors. Inhibition of extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) did not significantly affect EOG responses to CO₂ but did decrease EOG responses to several control odorants. Inhibition of intracellular CA or cyclic nucleotide-gated channels attenuated EOG responses to CO₂, confirming the role of these components in CO₂ sensing in mice. We also show that, like canonical OSNs, CO₂-sensitive OSNs depend on Ca²⁺-activated Cl⁻ channels for depolarization of receptor neurons. Lastly, we found that guanylyl cyclase-D knockout mice were still able to respond to CO₂, indicating that other pathways may exist for the detection of low concentrations of nasal CO₂. We discuss these findings as they relate to previous studies on CO₂-sensitive OSNs in mice and other animals.
Keywords: CNG channels; cGMP; carbonic anhydrase; chloride channels; olfaction; olfactory sensory neurons.