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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
Published on: April 23, 2019
Deorphanization of Dresden G protein-coupled receptor for an odorant receptor
Yoshifumi Fujita1, Tomoko Takahashi, Akiko Suzuki
1Exploratory Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. fujita.yoshifumi.z6@daiichisankyo.co.jp
Abstract:
Dresden G protein-coupled receptor (D-GPCR) is one of orphan G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). Here we report the identification of the ligands and the characterization of D-GPCR. We investigated over 5000 compounds to evoke the response mediated by D-GPCR and identified 3-methyl-valeric acid and 4-methyl-valeric acid as agonists using a cAMP assay. It is of interest that they dramatically enhanced the intracellular cAMP accumulation and the CRE-luciferase activity in CHO-K1 cells and HEK293 cells expressing the chimeric protein of D-GPCR with a rhodopsin-tag at its N-terminus. Our results established new characteristics of D-GPCR as an olfactory receptor. First, agonists of D-GPCR belong to odorants. Second, D-GPCR mRNA is expressed in the olfactory bulb. In addition, D-GPCR was reported to have similar sequences and its genome locus nearby other olfactory receptors. These results suggest D-GPCR is an olfactory receptor.
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