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Related Concept Videos

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

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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.
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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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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...
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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.
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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.
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High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
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Human olfactory receptor responses to odorants.

Joel D Mainland1, Yun R Li2, Ting Zhou2

  • 1Monell Chemical Senses Center , 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA ; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center , Research Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.

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|May 16, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers screened 73 odorants against 511 human olfactory receptors to understand odor coding. This dataset provides crucial data for investigating how combinations of olfactory receptors and odor molecules interact.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory receptor research
  • Chemosensation

Background:

  • The human olfactory system can distinguish numerous odors, but the specific chemical features encoded by olfactory receptors remain largely unknown.
  • Limited data exists on the interactions between hundreds of olfactory receptors and billions of odorant molecules.
  • Fewer than 10% of the approximately 400 intact human odorant receptors have identified ligands.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To generate a dataset of odorant-receptor interactions for human olfactory receptors.
  • To facilitate research into the combinatorial coding principles of olfaction.
  • To expand the known ligands for human olfactory receptors.

Main Methods:

  • A heterologous luciferase assay was employed for screening.
  • 73 distinct odorants were tested against a library of 511 human olfactory receptors.

Main Results:

  • A dataset detailing the interactions between 73 odorants and 511 human olfactory receptors was generated.
  • This screening provides new ligand information for a significant number of olfactory receptors.

Conclusions:

  • The generated dataset is a valuable resource for studying the combinatorial nature of olfactory coding.
  • Further research can utilize this data to explore the relationship between odorant chemical structures and receptor activation.