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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

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The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...
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G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

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GPCRs are primarily responsible for our sense of smell, taste, and vision.  The binding of a sensory stimulus activates GPCR to stimulate effector proteins, many of which are ion channels in the sensory organs. GPCRs modulate the opening and closing of the target ion channels either directly by binding them, or by releasing second messengers that activate these channels. As ions move across the membrane, the membrane potential is altered, which induces an appropriate response.
Sensory...
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Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors01:30

Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors

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G Protein–Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) are membrane-bound receptors that transiently associate with heterotrimeric G proteins and induce an appropriate response to various stimuli. GPCRs regulate critical physiological pathways and are excellent drug targets for treating diseases such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, depression, or Alzheimer's. Nearly 35% of approved drugs implement their therapeutic effects by selectively interacting with specific GPCRs.
GPCRs are also called heptahelical,...
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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
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Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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Humans detect odors with the help of specialized cells located in the upper part of the nasal cavity, called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). ORNs possess hair-like structures called cilia, which are receptive to sensations from the inhaled air. When an odorant molecule binds to a specific receptor on the cell of the cilia, it leads to a series of events that ultimately cause the ORN to send electrical signals to the olfactory bulb in the brain through the olfactory nerves.
The olfactory...
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Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

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Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Assaying Surface Expression of Chemosensory Receptors in Heterologous Cells
04:55

Assaying Surface Expression of Chemosensory Receptors in Heterologous Cells

Published on: February 24, 2011

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Combinatorial receptor codes for odors.

B Malnic1, J Hirono, T Sato

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Cell
|March 25, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mammalian olfactory systems use a combinatorial code to identify thousands of odors. Different combinations of odorant receptors (ORs) recognize specific scent molecules, explaining how odor perception changes with concentration or structure.

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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Assaying Surface Expression of Chemosensory Receptors in Heterologous Cells
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Assaying Surface Expression of Chemosensory Receptors in Heterologous Cells

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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory receptor research

Background:

  • Mammalian olfactory systems can discriminate between thousands of volatile chemicals.
  • The precise mechanisms of odorant recognition and coding remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify specific odorant receptors (ORs) responsible for distinguishing between odorants with similar structures but different perceived smells.
  • To elucidate the coding principles underlying olfactory perception.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized calcium imaging to monitor neuronal activity in response to odorants.
  • Employed single-cell reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to identify expressed odorant receptors (ORs) in individual olfactory neurons.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that a single odorant receptor (OR) can recognize multiple odorants.
  • Showed that a single odorant can be recognized by multiple ORs.
  • Established that distinct odorants are recognized by unique combinations of ORs, indicating a combinatorial coding scheme.

Conclusions:

  • The olfactory system employs a combinatorial receptor coding strategy to encode odor identity.
  • Variations in odorant structure or concentration can alter the combinatorial code, thereby modifying perceived odor quality.