title: Odorant receptor heterodimerization in the olfactory system of Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Despite increasing knowledge about dimerization of G-protein-coupled receptors, nothing is known about dimerization in the largest subfamily, odorant receptors. Using a combination of biochemical and electrophysiological approaches, we demonstrate here that odorant receptors can dimerize. DOR83b, an odorant receptor that is ubiquitously expressed in olfactory neurons from Drosophila melanogaster and highly conserved among insect species, forms heterodimeric complexes with other odorant-receptor proteins, which strongly increases their functionality.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Zellphysiologie, Bochum, Germany. eva.neuhaus@rub.de
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gisselmann
authors.forename: Weiyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dooley
authors.forename: Klemens
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Störtkuhl
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D019281:Dimerization; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C496847:OR22a protein, Drosophila; C432947:OR43b protein, Drosophila; C492465:Orco protein, Drosophila; D018035:Receptors, Odorant