title: The olfactory receptor gene superfamily of the mouse.
abstract: Olfactory receptor (OR) genes are the largest gene superfamily in vertebrates. We have identified the mouse OR genes from the nearly complete Celera mouse genome by a comprehensive data mining strategy. We found 1,296 mouse OR genes (including 20% pseudogenes), which can be classified into 228 families. OR genes are distributed in 27 clusters on all mouse chromosomes except 12 and Y. One OR gene cluster matches a known locus mediating a specific anosmia, indicating the anosmia may be due directly to the loss of receptors. A large number of apparently functional 'fish-like' Class I OR genes in the mouse genome may have important roles in mammalian olfaction. Human ORs cover a similar 'receptor space' as the mouse ORs, suggesting that the human olfactory system has retained the ability to recognize a broad spectrum of chemicals even though humans have lost nearly two-thirds of the OR genes as compared to mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Xinmin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Firestein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016678:Genome; D045782:Hemiterpenes; D051379:Mice / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D010421:Pentanoic Acids; D010802:Phylogeny; D011544:Pseudogenes; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics*; D012903:Smell
chemical_list: D045782:Hemiterpenes; D010421:Pentanoic Acids; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; C008216:isovaleric acid