Experimental Cell Biology of Taste and Olfaction / Current Techniques and Protocols (A.I. Spielman and J.G. Brand, eds.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 347-352 (1995).

Patch-clamping of whole olfactory cilia.

Kleene, SJ

Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0521

It is now clear that odorous stimuli are transduced into electrical signals in the olfactory cilia.   To understand olfactory transduction, it is necessary to understand the chemical and electrical properties of the ciliary membrane.   Patch-clamp recording was first applied to the cilium by Nakamura and Gold, who excised tiny membrane patches from the side of the cilium.   Four years later, Bob Gesteland and I learned how to record from a whole cilium, excised from the rest of the olfactory receptor neuron (ORN).   This ciliary patch method has become routine here, allowing a rapid functional description of the ciliary membrane.   The purpose of this paper is to provide additional guidance in performing the technique.   It is necessary to refer to the original report for many details which are not repeated here.