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Related Concept Videos

Allosteric Regulation01:08

Allosteric Regulation

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Allosteric regulation of enzymes occurs when the binding of an effector molecule to a site that is different from the active site causes a change in the enzymatic activity. This alternate site is called an allosteric site, and an enzyme can contain more than one of these sites. Allosteric regulation can either be positive or negative, resulting in an increase or decrease in enzyme activity. Most enzymes that display allosteric regulation are metabolic enzymes involved in the degradation or...
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Cooperative Allosteric Transitions01:58

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Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...
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Olfaction01:25

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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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Regulation of Metabolism01:19

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Cellular needs and conditions vary from cell to cell and change within individual cells over time. For example, the required enzymes and energetic demands of stomach cells are different from those of fat storage cells, skin cells, blood cells, and nerve cells. Furthermore, a digestive cell works much harder to process and break down nutrients during the time that closely follows a meal compared with many hours after a meal. As these cellular demands and conditions vary, so do the amounts and...
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Binding sites linkages can regulate a protein's function.  For example, enzyme activity is often regulated through a feedback mechanism where the end product of the biochemical process serves as an inhibitor.
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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay
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Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

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Olfaction: Allosteric modulation.

Samuel Caton1, Adam Dewan1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|April 25, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

New findings show allosteric modulators can enhance human olfactory receptor responses to odors. This non-competitive binding mechanism introduces greater complexity to how the nose processes smell information.

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Perforated Patch-clamp Recording of Mouse Olfactory Sensory Neurons in Intact Neuroepithelium: Functional Analysis of Neurons Expressing an Identified Odorant Receptor
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Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory receptor research
  • Sensory processing

Background:

  • Human olfactory receptors detect odors, forming the basis of our sense of smell.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of olfactory receptor activation is crucial for deciphering smell perception.
  • Existing models primarily focus on direct odorant-receptor interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of allosteric modulators on human olfactory receptor function.
  • To explore novel mechanisms beyond direct odorant binding that influence olfactory responses.
  • To elucidate the role of allosteric modulation in the peripheral encoding of odors.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized in vitro assays to measure human olfactory receptor activity.
  • Introduced specific allosteric modulators to assess their effect on odorant-evoked responses.
  • Analyzed changes in receptor activation using non-competitive binding assays.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that allosteric modulators significantly enhance odor-evoked responses in human olfactory receptors.
  • Confirmed that this enhancement occurs through a non-competitive binding mechanism.
  • Observed a notable increase in the sensitivity and/or signaling strength of the receptors.

Conclusions:

  • Allosteric modulation represents a key mechanism for regulating human olfactory receptor activity.
  • This finding adds a new layer of complexity to the peripheral processing of olfactory information.
  • Future research can explore therapeutic or technological applications of olfactory receptor modulation.