title: Human olfactory receptor families and their odorants.
abstract: The human nose detects volatile chemical stimuli by at least three different receptor families: odorant receptors, trace amine-associated receptors, and vomeronasal type-1 receptors. As G protein-coupled receptors, all of the few functionally characterized olfactory receptors share major functional features: when expressed in heterologous cell systems, they 1) respond to odorants of certain chemical groups, e.g., amines, aliphatic carboxylic acids or aldehydes, floral or fruity odorants, including certain key-food odorants, and putative pheromones, and 2) transduce their signals to intracellular cAMP signaling. However, little is known yet about specific differences in the functional designation of the three olfactory receptor families. Recently, two heterologous cell systems expressing olfactory signaling molecules have been developed. Different screening strategies will shed light on the yet sparsely available odorant specificity profiles and structure-function relationships of olfactory receptors, as well as the structure-activity relationships of their odorants.
authors.affiliation: German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Molecular Genetics, D-14558 Nuthetal. dietmark@dife.de
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krautwurst
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D000095383:Trace Amine-Associated Receptors
chemical_list: D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D000095383:Trace Amine-Associated Receptors; C414724:VN1R1 protein, human