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Related Concept Videos

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure01:03

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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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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Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

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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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Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

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The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
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G-Protein Gated Ion Channels01:21

G-Protein Gated Ion Channels

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

Transducer Mechanism: G Protein–Coupled Receptors

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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 13, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
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Olfactory receptor pseudo-pseudogenes.

Lucia L Prieto-Godino1, Raphael Rytz1, Benoîte Bargeton1

  • 1Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Nature
|November 4, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Pseudogenes are typically non-functional, but a Drosophila receptor gene (Ir75a) with a premature termination codon produces a functional protein via translational read-through. This "pseudo-pseudogene" phenomenon may be widespread in olfactory receptor evolution.

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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2026

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

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Pseudogenes are generally regarded as non-functional DNA sequences resulting from gene mutations.
  • While some pseudogene-derived RNAs have regulatory functions, functional pseudogene-derived proteins remain largely unknown.
  • Olfactory receptor gene families often contain pseudogenes due to relaxed selection pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize a specific pseudogene within the ionotropic glutamate receptor repertoire of Drosophila sechellia.
  • To investigate the functional implications of a premature termination codon (PTC) in the D. sechellia Ir75a locus.
  • To explore the evolutionary and functional significance of translational read-through in pseudogene-like structures.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic sequencing and analysis of the D. sechellia Ir75a locus.
  • Functional assays to detect and analyze translational read-through of the PTC.
  • Comparative analysis of D. sechellia Ir75a with its Drosophila melanogaster orthologue.
  • Investigation of ligand-binding domain alterations and odour-tuning properties.

Main Results:

  • The D. sechellia Ir75a locus contains a premature termination codon (PTC) that is fixed in the population.
  • Efficient translational read-through of the PTC allows for the production of a functional D. sechellia Ir75a receptor protein.
  • Read-through is neuron-specific and depends on downstream sequences, not the termination codon type.
  • D. sechellia Ir75a exhibits altered odour-tuning compared to its orthologue, with changes in the ligand-binding domain.
  • Functional PTC-containing loci were identified in other olfactory receptor repertoires and species.

Conclusions:

  • Pseudogenes, specifically those with PTCs, can encode functional proteins through translational read-through, challenging their non-functional designation.
  • The phenomenon of 'pseudo-pseudogenes' represents a potentially widespread mechanism for generating functional diversity in olfactory receptor repertoires.
  • Evolutionary adaptations in ligand-binding domains can confer novel chemosensory functions even in genes with PTCs.