Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Olfaction

Olfaction

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...

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

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...

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

Physiology of Smell and Olfactory Pathway

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Development and evaluation of multi-strategy fusion machine learning models for predicting postoperative recurrence in non-small cell lung cancer.

BMC medical imaging·2026

Same author

MFDR-DTI: Multisource Feature Decoupling and Dual-Level Reorganization Fusion for Accurate Drug-Target Interaction Prediction.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Interpretable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease identification using chest X-ray radiomics: a multicenter study.

Insights into imaging·2026

Same author

Discrepancy Between Preoperative CT and Pathological Tumor Diameters in Stage I Lung Adenocarcinoma and Its Association with Postoperative Recurrence.

Academic radiology·2026

Same author

Chinese Position Paper on Biologic Therapy for Allergic Rhinitis.

Allergy·2026

Same author

Dual-branch spatio-temporal graph network for bearing fault diagnosis.

Scientific reports·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

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

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

Published on: June 2, 2014

Correlation between olfactory receptor basal activity and odor response: An observational study.

Lun Xu^1,2, Qi Dai^1,2, Yiqun Yu^1,2

¹Department of Otolaryngology, Ear, Nose & Throat Institute, Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

|April 28, 2025

Summary

Basal activity in olfactory receptors (ORs) significantly influences odor detection. Mouse ORs showed a positive correlation between basal activity and odor response, unlike human ORs, highlighting the receptor binding cavity

Keywords:

basal activity hana3A cell line luciferase assay odor response olfactory receptor

More Related Videos

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Published on: October 2, 2017

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Published on: April 23, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

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

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

Published on: June 2, 2014

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Live-cell Measurement of Odorant Receptor Activation Using a Real-time cAMP Assay

Published on: October 2, 2017

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase

Published on: April 23, 2019

Area of Science:

Olfactory receptor research
G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling
Chemosensation mechanisms

Background:

Olfactory receptors (ORs) are the largest GPCR family, crucial for odor perception.
The underlying mechanisms governing OR responses to stimuli are not fully understood.
Basal activity, or spontaneous receptor signaling, is a known property of many GPCRs.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the basal activity of mouse and human olfactory receptors (ORs).
To determine the correlation between OR basal activity and their response to odor stimuli.
To elucidate the role of basal activity in olfactory receptor function.

Main Methods:

Utilized the Hana3A cell line for expressing mouse and human ORs.
Employed a luciferase assay to quantify receptor activity.
Measured and compared basal activity levels and odor-induced responses.

Main Results:

A positive correlation was observed between basal activity and total odor response for the top 10 mouse ORs.
No significant correlation was found between basal activity and odor response for human-derived ORs.
Basal activity levels were found to significantly influence OR responses in the studied mouse models.

Conclusions:

Basal activity plays a significant role in modulating olfactory receptor responses to odorants.
The findings suggest species-specific differences in the influence of basal activity on OR function.
The receptor binding cavity's structure is likely critical in determining OR odor response characteristics.