How does your kidney smell? Emerging roles for olfactory receptors in renal function.
Olfactory receptors (ORs) are chemosensors that are responsible for one's sense of smell. In addition to this specialized role in the nose, recent evidence suggests that ORs are also found in a variety of additional tissues including the kidney. As this list of renal ORs continues to expand, it is becoming clear that they play important roles in renal and whole-body physiology, including a novel role in blood pressure regulation. In this review, we highlight important considerations that are crucial when studying ORs and present the current literature on renal ORs and their emerging relevance in maintaining renal function.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Blythe D
BD
Shepard
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. jpluznick@jhmi.edu.
Jennifer L
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3621-2665
JL
Pluznick
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply / Q000378:metabolism*; D008024:Ligands; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000378:metabolism*; D012079:Renal Circulation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012903:Smell
D008024:Ligands; D018035:Receptors, Odorant
Adenylate cyclase 3; Blood pressure; Kidney; Ligand; Odorant receptor; Olfactory receptors