Graduate student at the Freie Universität Berlin Olfaction in mammals involves the binding of odorants to a subset of the large number of different G protein-coupled receptors that are present in the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) 1 . These neurons are predominantly found in the MOE, which senses and discriminates myriad volatile compounds. In the mouse, the nose contains additional, apparently more specialized olfactory organs, such the septal organ of Masera and the VNO 2 . Sensory neurons in the VNO are morphologically distinct and use odorant receptors and signal transduction cascades that differ from those found in the MOE.In the canonical OSN signal transduction pathway, odorant binding to the receptor locally increases cytosolic cAMP through activation of the olfactory G protein G olf and adenylate cyclase type III 1,2 . cAMP then opens heteromeric cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) cation channels 3 . The resulting influx of Na + and Ca 2+ depolarizes the plasma membrane and raises the cytosolic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ), thereby activating Ca 2+ -activated Cl -channels 1,4-10 . All these components of the signal transduction cascade are localized to sensory cilia, which are embedded in the mucus covering the MOE. These cilia provide a large interaction surface for odorants, and the cilia's small diameters facilitate large local increases in cytosolic cAMP and [Ca 2+ ].There has been broad consensus that Ca 2+ -activated Cl -channels powerfully amplify olfactory signal transduction 1,4-10 . These channels are thought to mediate an outward flow of Cl -, which generates a depolarizing current that, in rodents, is five-to tenfold larger than currents through CNG channels 8,11,12 . A prerequisite for Cl -efflux 3 is an inside-out electrochemical Cl --gradient. It is believed that cytosolic chloride concentration of OSNs is raised by the Na + K + 2Cl -co-transporter Nkcc1 9,10,13 and that [Cl -] is low in the mucus surrounding the cilia 14,15 . However, mucosal ion concentrations are difficult to measure in vivo, and Nkcc1 knockout mice display attenuated electro-olfactograms (EOGs) 11,16 , but normal olfactory sensitivity 17 .To investigate the role of Ca 2+ -activated Cl -channels in olfaction, we disrupted Ano2 in mice. Ano2 is a member of the Anoctamin (Tmem16) gene family, which encodes several Ca 2+ -activated Cl -channels [18][19][20] . Agreeing with recent results 13,21-23 , our knockout-controlled immunolabeling showed Ano2 expression in cilia of OSNs in the MOE, in microvilli of VNO sensory neurons and in synapses of photoreceptors. Additionally, we found Ano2 in the olfactory bulb. Ano1 expression overlapped with Ano2 in the VNO and the retina, but not in the MOE. Patch-clamp analysis showed that Ca 2+ -activated Cl -currents were undetectable in Ano2 -/-OSNs.Unexpectedly, however, EOGs of Ano2 -/-mice were reduced by only up to ~40%, and Ano2 -/-mice were able to smell normally. Our work calls for a revision of the current view that Ca 2+ -activated Cl -channels have a crucial role...

Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) is a highly conserved protein that together with its homologue prohibitin 2 (PHB2) mainly localizes to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Although it was originally identified by its ability to inhibit G1/S progression in human fibroblasts, its role as tumor suppressor is debated. To determine the function of prohibitins in maintaining cell homeostasis, we generated cancer cell lines expressing prohibitin-directed shRNAs. We show that prohibitin proteins are necessary for the proliferation of cancer cells. Down-regulation of prohibitin expression drastically reduced the rate of cell division. Furthermore, mitochondrial morphology was not affected, but loss of prohibitins did lead to the degradation of the fusion protein OPA1 and, in certain cancer cell lines, to a reduced capability to exhibit anchorage-independent growth. These cancer cells also exhibited reduced adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Taken together, these observations suggest prohibitins play a crucial role in adhesion processes in the cell and thereby sustaining cancer cell propagation and survival.

Ca-activated Cl currents have been observed in many physiological processes, including sensory transduction in mammalian olfaction. The olfactory vomeronasal (or Jacobson's) organ (VNO) detects molecular cues originating from animals of the same species or from predators. It then triggers innate behaviors such as aggression, mating, or flight. In the VNO, Ca-activated Cl channels (CaCCs) are thought to amplify the initial pheromone-evoked receptor potential by mediating a depolarizing Cl efflux. Here, we confirmed the co-localization of the Ca-activated Cl channels anoctamin 1 (Ano1, also called TMEM16A) and Ano2 (TMEM16B) in microvilli of apically and basally located vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) and their absence in supporting cells of the VNO. Both channels were expressed as functional isoforms capable of giving rise to Ca-activated Cl currents. Although these currents persisted in the VNOs of mice lacking , they were undetectable in olfactory neuron-specific knockout mice irrespective of the presence of The loss of Ca-activated Cl currents resulted in diminished spontaneous and drastically reduced pheromone-evoked spiking of VSNs. Although this indicated an important role of anoctamin channels in VNO signal amplification, the lack of this amplification did not alter VNO-dependent male-male territorial aggression in olfactory / double knockout mice. We conclude that Ano1 mediates the bulk of Ca-activated Cl currents in the VNO and that Ano2 plays only a minor role. Furthermore, vomeronasal signal amplification by CaCCs appears to be dispensable for the detection of male-specific pheromones and for near-normal aggressive behavior in mice.

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