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Olfaction

Olfaction

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...

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

A Wind Tunnel for Odor Mediated Insect Behavioural Assays

Published on: November 30, 2018

Smelling the difference: controversial ideas in insect olfaction.

Maurizio Pellegrino¹, Takao Nakagawa

¹Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.

The Journal of Experimental Biology

|June 16, 2009

Summary

Insect olfactory receptors (ORs) may function as ligand-gated ion channels, not just G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This challenges our understanding of insect olfaction mechanisms and evolution.

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Area of Science:

Olfactory neuroscience
Molecular biology
Evolutionary biology

Background:

The sense of smell is crucial for animal survival, influencing mating, foraging, and environmental exploration.
Olfactory receptors (ORs) on olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) detect odorants, initiating olfactory processing in vertebrates and nematodes.
Insect olfactory systems share anatomical similarities with mammals, with ORs previously classified as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular mechanism of insect olfactory receptors (ORs).
To compare insect OR function with established models in vertebrates and nematodes.
To explore the evolutionary implications of insect olfaction.

Main Methods:

Analysis of existing evidence on insect olfactory receptor (OR) function.
Comparison of insect OR mechanisms with G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ligand-gated ion channels.
Review of insect olfactory signal transduction pathways.

Main Results:

Recent findings suggest insect ORs can function as ligand-gated ion channels.
This mechanism may bypass or partially bypass G protein-mediated amplification steps.
The role of G proteins in insect olfactory signal transduction remains under investigation.

Conclusions:

Insect ORs exhibit a distinct mechanism of action compared to traditional GPCRs.
This discovery opens new avenues for understanding insect olfaction, its evolution, and its adaptive advantages.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of G proteins in insect olfaction.