Abstract
The group-specific protein reagent, N-ethylmaleimide, irreversibly blocks the electrical response of the olfactory receptor organ of the frog to odorous stimuli. If the odorous substance, ethyl n-butyrate, in concentrations high enough to saturate the receptor system, is present in the nasal cavity before and during a brief exposure to N-ethylmaleimide, the nose, after a wash and a recovery period, responds in nearly normal fashion to vapors of ethyl n-butyrate. Responses to other odorous substances, except those closely related to ethyl n-butyrate, are abolished. We propose that we can use this protection technique to identify the properties of the various receptor sites in the nose, and possibly to characterize the receptor substances.
Keywords: group-specific protein reagents, electro-olfactogram, frog, ethyl n-butyrate, N-ethyl maleimide
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