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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

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 Pathway01:20

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...
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
12:02

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

Published on: June 2, 2014

Ecological adaptation determines functional mammalian olfactory subgenomes.

Sara Hayden1, Michaël Bekaert, Tess A Crider

  • 1UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield Dublin 4, Ireland.

Genome Research
|December 3, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The largest gene family, olfactory receptors (ORs), shows adaptive evolution influenced by habitat, not just ancestry. Functional OR gene repertoires reveal distinct patterns in aquatic mammals and bats, challenging neutralist theories.

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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: Jun 18, 2026

High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
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Published on: December 22, 2012

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
09:53

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

Published on: April 23, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Olfactory Receptor Research

Background:

  • The olfactory receptor (OR) gene family, the largest in mammalian genomes, governs the sense of smell.
  • While OR genes are annotated in humans and mice, specific odorant-receptor interactions and full functional mechanisms remain largely unknown.
  • Previous comparative studies on OR genes were taxonomically limited and primarily focused on pseudogene percentages, neglecting adaptive changes across diverse mammals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate adaptive changes in functional OR gene families across phylogenetically and ecologically diverse mammals.
  • To understand how habitat, sensory specialization, and ecological traits influence OR gene repertoires.
  • To identify the functional importance of specific OR gene families and their bound odorants.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of functional OR gene repertoires from 50 mammalian genomes, including newly amplified genes from aquatic, semi-aquatic, and flying mammals.
  • Integration of data with existing OR gene data from terrestrial mammals.
  • Application of phylogenomic, Bayesian assignment, and principal component analyses to partition species by ecotype.

Main Results:

  • Phylogenomic analyses clustered mammalian species by ecotype (aquatic, semi-aquatic, terrestrial, flying) rather than phylogenetic relatedness.
  • Functional OR gene repertoires showed independent reductions in multiple aquatic mammal lineages.
  • Bat OR gene repertoires were significantly divergent, and specific OR families were correlated with habitat requirements.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of OR gene repertoires is significantly influenced by ecological factors and habitat, refuting purely neutralist evolutionary views.
  • Specific OR gene families are linked to the physiological needs of different mammalian ecotypes.
  • This study provides a foundation for understanding the relationship between specific odors and the OR gene families that detect them.