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Updated: Feb 15, 2026
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High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
Published on: June 2, 2014
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Structure-Function Relationships of Olfactory and Taste Receptors
Maik Behrens1, Loïc Briand2, Claire A de March3
1Department of Molecular Genetics, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Germany.
Chemical Senses
|January 18, 2018
Summary
Understanding molecular mechanisms of smell and taste requires solving receptor structures. Combining structural biology with functional studies is key to decoding chemical senses and brain perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biochemistry
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Significant progress in cellular mechanisms of olfaction and taste over the last 20 years.
- Molecular understanding of odor and taste recognition remains limited.
- G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are crucial for chemical senses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress and challenges in determining the molecular structures of olfactory and taste receptors.
- To highlight the necessity of combining structural and functional studies for understanding chemical senses.
- To discuss initial steps towards the structural biology of chemosensory receptors.
Main Methods:
- Review of biochemical and physiological assays.
- Discussion of forward genetics approaches.
- Exploration of molecular modeling techniques.
- Overview of early structural biology efforts for GPCRs.
Main Results:
- Multiple complementary strategies for GPCR structure determination are advancing.
- Achieving high-resolution receptor structures with native ligands is becoming realistic.
- Initial steps towards structural biology of olfactory and taste receptors are presented.
Conclusions:
- Solving full-length receptor structures with native ligands is essential for molecular understanding.
- A combination of high-resolution structures and functional studies is required to understand sensory perception.
- The review outlines the initial pathway towards achieving these goals in chemical senses research.
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