Signal recognition and chemo-electrical transduction in olfaction.
The mimicking of olfaction is considered to be a promising approach for the construction of artificial odour-sensing systems. In the nose, the detection of volatile odorants begins when the odorant ligands interact with specific odorant receptors in the ciliary membrane of the olfactory neurons. A large family of genes encoding putative odorant receptors has been identified recently. Individual receptor types are expressed in subsets of cells distributed in distinct zones of the olfactory epithelium. Ligand-receptor interaction triggers a rapid multistep reaction cascade, resulting in a "pulse" of second messengers that initiates an electrical response from the receptor neuron. Olfactory signalling is terminated by phosphorylation of receptors via a negative feedback reaction, catalyzed by specific kinases.
Breer
H
H
Institute of Zoophysiology, University Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012903:Smell
D018035:Receptors, Odorant