If genetically engineered bees could express a receptor for TNT in their olfactory neurons, what type of receptor would the TNT receptor be?

Question

Honeybees have an incredible ability to distinguish thousands of different odorant molecules, using their large repertoire of olfactory receptors. A wide variety of different types of chemicals can be detected as odorants -- they simply require olfactory neurons with a receptor that can bind the chemical and transduce that stimulus into a receptor potential.

A.  chemoreceptor
B.  mechanoreceptor
C.  electromagnetic receptor
D.  it is a novel type of receptor

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
What do you already know about olfaction? What other information is related to the question?

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

A.  chemoreceptor

Clarify Question
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        · What type of receptor would a TNT receptor be?
What type of thinking is required?
            o This is an analyze question because you have to break sensory (olfaction) signaling into different stages and understand what activates the receptors involved.

Gather Content
What do you already know about olfaction? What other information is related to the question?
        · You already know that olfaction detects odorants when odorants bind to specific olfactory receptors and opening up ion channels, producing receptor potentials. What would happen if you express a novel olfactory receptor for TDT on honeybee antennae? The honeybee would be able to sense or smell the TDT since TDT, which is a chemical, binds to the receptor on an olfactory neuron. Thus the receptor would be a chemoreceptor. Mechanoreceptors are activated in response to mechanical stresses and electromagnetic receptors detect electric currents.

Choose Answer
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        · Since the TDT receptor that you have genetically engineered in the honeybee antennae is an olfactory receptor, and TDT is a chemical that binds to and activates the receptor, it is a chemoreceptor. Mechanoreceptors are activated in response to mechanical stress and electromagnetic receptors respond to electric currents. While this receptor would be a novel receptor for the honeybee, it is not a novel type of receptor since chemoreceptors are common in the olfactory and gustatory sensory systems.

Reflect on Process
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o Answering this question correctly depended not only on understanding the steps of the sensory pathway of olfaction, but on your ability to understand how the change in this system by genetic engineering can provide an additional olfactory receptor for the honeybee and distinguishing what type of receptor this is. If you got an incorrect answer, did you get confused with the definition of chemoreceptor? Did you realize TNT is a chemical? Did you think that because TDT does not normally have an olfactory receptor in honeybees that its receptor would have to be an entirely novel type?