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Related Concept Videos

Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

49.6K
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...
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Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway01:20

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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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.
The olfactory...
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Related Experiment Video

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High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
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The human olfactory transcriptome.

Tsviya Olender1, Ifat Keydar2, Jayant M Pinto3

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

BMC Genomics
|August 13, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals novel olfactory receptor (OR) genes and auxiliary genes involved in human olfaction. It provides a comprehensive transcriptomic view of the olfactory epithelium, identifying new targets for sensory research.

Keywords:
OlfactionOlfactory epitheliumOlfactory receptorRNAseq

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Sensory Neuroscience

Background:

  • Olfaction relies on detecting volatile odorants, but a complete map of associated gene products is lacking.
  • Understanding the molecular basis of olfaction requires comprehensive gene expression analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize novel genes, particularly non-olfactory receptor (OR) genes, expressed in the human olfactory epithelium.
  • To compare gene expression patterns between human and mouse olfactory tissues.
  • To provide a transcriptomic overview of the entire OR repertoire and auxiliary genes.

Main Methods:

  • RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was performed on human olfactory epithelial samples.
  • Data was compared with mouse olfactory epithelium and human control tissues.
  • Gene expression levels, including olfactory receptors (ORs) and non-OR genes, were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • 194 non-olfactory receptor (OR) genes were found to be overexpressed in human olfactory tissues, with lipocalins and bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI)-fold proteins showing the highest levels.
  • Of these, 158 non-OR genes had little or no previously documented olfactory function, including GPCRs, neuropeptides, and transcription factors.
  • Nearly 90% of intact ORs and 60% of OR pseudogenes were expressed, with significant inter-individual variation and alternative splicing observed.

Conclusions:

  • This study presents a transcriptomic overview of the human olfactory epithelium, detailing the expression of ORs and auxiliary genes.
  • It highlights a substantial number of overexpressed, uncharacterized non-receptor genes with potential roles in olfaction.
  • The findings provide a foundation for future research into the molecular mechanisms of smell and the discovery of new olfactory-related genes.