Expression of vomeronasal receptors and related signaling molecules in the nasal cavity of a caudate amphibian (Plethodon shermani).

G-protein-coupled receptors are responsible for binding to chemosensory cues and initiating responses in vertebrate olfactory neurons. We investigated the genetic diversity and expression of one family of G-protein-coupled receptors in a terrestrial caudate amphibian (the red-legged salamander, Plethodon shermani). We used degenerate RT-PCR to isolate vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2Rs)--including full-length sequences--and compared them with other vertebrate V2Rs with phylogenetic analyses. We also amplified a salamander Golf, a G-protein usually expressed in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of vertebrates, and an ion channel expressed in the rodent vomeronasal organ: trpc2. We then localized mRNA expression of V2Rs, trpc2, and Golf in the olfactory and vomeronasal epithelia with in situ hybridization. The mRNA transcripts of V2Rs and trpc2 were detected solely in the vomeronasal epithelium of P. shermani. Furthermore, there were differences in the density of cells that expressed particular subclasses of V2Rs: 2 probes showed sexually dimorphic expression, whereas a third did not. Although Golf mRNA was expressed primarily in the MOE, Golf transcripts also were found in the vomeronasal epithelium. Thus, some aspects of mRNA expression of vomeronasal receptors and related molecules differ between salamanders and frogs, and between salamanders and mice.