Insect odorant receptors: channeling scent.
Odorant detection in insects involves heterodimers between an odorant receptor (OR) and a conserved seven-transmembrane protein called Or83b, but the exact mechanism of OR signal transduction is unclear. Two recent studies in Nature (Sato et al., 2008; Wicher et al., 2008) now reveal that these OR-Or83b heterodimers form odorant-gated ion channels, revealing a surprising new mode of olfactory transduction.
Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
Tal Soo
TS
Ha
Dean P
DP
Smith
D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009812:Odorants; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018035:Receptors, Odorant