# Slo2 channels in Olfactory Adaptation

> **NIH NIH R21** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $412,077

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Sensory adaptation is an important feature of all sensory systems, as it allows them to maintain sensitivity
over a wide range in backgrounds of varying stimulation. Here, we introduce Na+-activated K+ (KNa/Slo2)
channels a new player to the mechanisms that underlie sensory adaptation. Studies over the years have
suggested that KNa/Slo2 channels might function to dampen activity in states of excessive excitation. KNa/Slo2
channels are unique in that the major depolarizing ion, Na+, activates a repolarizing K+-selective pore; thus by
nature, these channels seem designed to be a built-in hyperpolarizing mechanism against episodes of excessive
excitation. In the proposed studies, we use Drosophila as a model system in which to genetically manipulate
dSlo2 expression, test for olfactory adaptation in vivo, identify the cells and subcellular domains in which dSlo2
channels affect adaptation, and electrophysiologically examine the role of dSlo2 channels in the excitability of
these cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10823705
- **Project number:** 1R21NS135729-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** SUSAN L TSUNODA
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $412,077
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-15 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10823705

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10823705, Slo2 channels in Olfactory Adaptation (1R21NS135729-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10823705. Licensed CC0.

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