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Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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...

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...

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...

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile and Chemical Senses

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. This...

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

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 organs,...

G Protein-coupled Receptors

G Protein-coupled Receptors

G Protein-Coupled Receptors or GPCRs are membrane-bound receptors that transiently associate with heterotrimeric G proteins and induce an appropriate response to sensory stimuli such as light, odors, hormones, cytokines, or neurotransmitters.
GPCRs are also called heptahelical, 7TM, or serpentine receptors, and consist of seven (H1-H7) transmembrane alpha-helices that span the bilayer to form a cylindrical core. The transmembrane helices are connected by three extracellular loops and three...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

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

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

Published on: October 2, 2017

Mammalian olfactory receptors.

Joerg Fleischer¹, Heinz Breer, Joerg Strotmann

¹Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim Stuttgart, Germany.

Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

|September 16, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Animals rely on olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and diverse olfactory receptors (ORs) for sensing environmental chemicals. This complex system enables a vast capacity for recognizing numerous odors and pheromones.

Keywords:

G protein-coupled receptor formyl peptide receptor guanylyl cyclase odorant olfaction pheromone trace amine-associated receptor vomeronasal

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Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

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

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Published on: October 2, 2017

High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity

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Published on: June 2, 2014

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

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

Published on: April 23, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Sensory Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Chemical perception is vital for animal survival, necessitating sophisticated olfactory systems.
Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) within the nose detect environmental stimuli, including odors and pheromones.
The sensitivity and selectivity of OSNs depend on specific receptors in their membranes.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the crucial role of olfactory receptors in chemical information processing.
To provide an overview of the diverse olfactory receptor repertoire in mammals.
To establish olfactory receptors as key elements for understanding the sense of smell.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on olfactory receptor families.
Analysis of the structural diversity and expression patterns of olfactory receptors.
Categorization of olfactory receptors into distinct families.

Main Results:

Mammalian olfactory systems possess hundreds of diverse olfactory receptor types.
These receptors are categorized into families: odorant receptors (ORs), vomeronasal receptors (V1Rs, V2Rs), trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs), formyl peptide receptors (FPRs), and GC-D.
Receptors are expressed in distinct subcompartments of the nose, contributing to functional specialization.

Conclusions:

The extensive and complex olfactory receptor repertoire underpins the remarkable chemosensory capabilities of mammals.
Understanding these receptors is fundamental to deciphering the mechanisms of olfaction.
Olfactory receptors are central to the accurate recognition and processing of chemosensory information.