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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
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...
Introduction to Special Senses01:26

Introduction to Special Senses

Sensory receptors play an integral part in comprehending our external and internal environments. They receive diverse stimuli, converting them into the nervous system's electrochemical signals. This conversion occurs as the stimulus alters the sensory neuron's cell membrane potential, instigating the generation of an action potential. This action potential is subsequently transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), which integrates with other sensory data or higher cognitive functions.
G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

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,...
Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors01:30

Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors

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, 7TM, or...

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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

Published on: April 23, 2019

Personal receptor repertoires: olfaction as a model.

Tsviya Olender1, Sebastian M Waszak, Maya Viavant

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel. tsviya.olender@weizmann.ac.il

BMC Genomics
|August 23, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Human olfactory receptor (OR) genes show high genetic diversity. Each person has a unique set of functional olfactory receptors, impacting smell perception and species-wide diversity.

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

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

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

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
09:11

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

Published on: October 2, 2017

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

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Human Genetics
  • Olfactory Receptor Research

Background:

  • Advances in human genome sequencing provide unprecedented data on nucleotide diversity.
  • Reassessing receptor protein diversity in individuals is now feasible.
  • Human olfactory receptor (OR) coding regions serve as a model for personal receptor repertoires.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze genetic variations in human olfactory receptor (OR) coding regions.
  • To determine the extent of diversity in individual human OR repertoires.
  • To identify non-functional OR loci and their impact on the human OR repertoire.

Main Methods:

  • Data-mining from public and private sources to identify genetic variations in 413 intact OR loci.
  • Utilizing 1000 Genomes Project haplotypes to identify polypeptide variants.
  • Employing a custom SNP microarray to validate segregating pseudogenes (SPGs) in 468 individuals.
  • Compiling data on deletion Copy Number Variations (CNVs) in OR loci.

Main Results:

  • Identified 4069 full-length polypeptide variants across 413 intact OR loci, averaging ~10 per locus.
  • Each individual harbors approximately 600 OR allelic variants, significantly impacting smell perception diversity.
  • Discovered 244 OR segregating pseudogenes (SPGs), with 26 'resurrected' from pseudogene status.
  • Found that 66% of intact OR loci (271/413) are affected by nonfunctional variations (SNPs/indels/CNVs).

Conclusions:

  • Human olfactory receptor genes exhibit exceptionally high genetic diversity.
  • Individual humans possess highly personalized inventories of functional olfactory receptors.
  • This high degree of personalization in olfactory receptors may extend to other multigene families.