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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase
Published on: April 23, 2019
Determinants of odorant receptor transcription and gene choice
Joshua S Danoff1, Kaitao Zhao1, Kevin Monahan1
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
Abstract:
The mammalian olfactory system enables the detection of a wide variety of chemical compounds via the expression of a repertoire of olfactory receptors comprising the largest gene family in the mammalian genome. Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) each express only 1 odorant receptor (OR) gene. In mice, this requires activation of 1 OR gene and repression of over 1,400 other OR genes. In this review, we describe the mechanisms that support the transcription of OR genes and how these mechanisms impact which OR is expressed in each neuron. First, we discuss what is currently known about the role of transcription in OR choice. We then describe the role of specific features of OR genes and enhancers in the regulation of OR transcription. Finally, we discuss characteristics of OSNs which specify transcription of some OR genes while restricting the transcription of others.
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