Roles of sensory receptors in non-sensory organs: the kidney and beyond

Olfactory receptors (ORs), taste receptors and opsins are well-known for their pivotal roles in mediating the senses of smell, taste and sight, respectively. However, in the past two decades, research has shown that these sensory receptors also regulate physiological processes in a variety of non-sensory tissues. Although ORs, taste receptors and opsins have all been shown to have physiological roles beyond their traditional locations, most work in the kidney has focused on ORs. To date, renal ORs have been shown to have roles in blood pressure regulation (OLFR78 and OLFR558) and glucose homeostasis (OLFR1393). However, sensory receptors remain drastically understudied outside of traditional sensory systems, in part because of inherent challenges in studying these receptors. Increased knowledge of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of sensory receptors has the potential to substantially improve understanding of the function of numerous organs and systems, including the kidney. In addition, most sensory receptors are G protein-coupled receptors, which are considered to be the most druggable class of proteins, and thus could potentially be exploited as future therapeutic targets.