Olfactory receptors are a diverse set of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that localize to cellular plasma membranes in the olfactory epithelium. Associated trafficking proteins often assist in targeting these GPCRs to the membrane, facilitating function. One such trafficking protein has been isolated as a mutant defective for both odorant response and proper receptor localization in Caenorhabditis elegans. This gene (ODR-4) allows for functional expression of olfactory receptors in heterologous cells that are otherwise incapable of targeting. We have isolated a full-length human cDNA that is homologous to the C. elegans gene at the protein level across nearly the entire gene by using a novel RecA-based gene enrichment procedure. This sequence is homologous to a family of orthologs that share predicted structural features, indicating a conserved function. The gene was expressed in 41 of 44 human, mouse, and rat tissues, suggesting an important role in trafficking olfactory and other GPCRs.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2004.11.009 | DOI Listing |
Front Mol Biosci
January 2025
Medical Laboratory, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.
Olfactory receptors, classified as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), have been a subject of scientific inquiry since the early 1950s. Historically, investigations into the sensory mechanisms of olfactory receptors were often confined to behavioral characteristics in model organisms or the expression of related proteins and genes. However, with the development of cryo-electron microscopy techniques, it has gradually become possible to decipher the specific structures of olfactory receptors in insects and humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Physiol Sci
January 2025
Department of Autonomic Neuroscience, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 35-2 Sakaecho, Itabashi-ku, 173-0015, Tokyo, Japan.
The olfactory bulb receives cholinergic basal forebrain inputs as does the neocortex. With a focus on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), this review article provides an overview and discussion of the following findings: (1) the nAChRs-mediated regulation of regional blood flow in the neocortex and olfactory bulb, (2) the nAChR subtypes that mediate their responses, and (3) their activity in old rats. The activation of the α4β2-like subtype of nAChRs produces vasodilation in the neocortex, and potentiates olfactory bulb vasodilation induced by olfactory stimulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
In the ventricular-subventricular-zone (V-SVZ) of the postnatal mammalian brain, immature neurons (neuroblasts) are generated from neural stem cells throughout their lifetime. These V-SVZ-derived neuroblasts normally migrate to the olfactory bulb through the rostral migratory stream, differentiate into interneurons, and are integrated into the preexisting olfactory circuit. When the brain is injured, some neuroblasts initiate migration toward the lesion and attempt to repair the damaged neuronal circuitry, but their low regeneration efficiency prevents functional recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02134, USA.
Natural olfactory systems possess remarkable sensitivity and precision beyond what is currently achievable by engineered gas sensors. Unlike their artificial counterparts, noses are capable of distinguishing scents associated with mixtures of volatile molecules in complex, typically fluctuating environments and can adapt to changes. This perspective examines the multifaceted biological principles that provide olfactory systems their discriminatory prowess, and how these ideas can be ported to the design of electronic noses for substantial improvements in performance across metrics such as sensitivity and ability to speciate chemical mixtures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Physiol
January 2025
Plant Protection Institute, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northern Region of North China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, IPM Innovation Center of Hebei Province, International Science and Technology Joint Research Center on IPM of Hebei Province, Baoding, China.
Background: (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a major soybean pest throughout East Asia that relies on its advanced olfactory system for the perception of plant-derived volatile compounds and aggregation pheromones for conspecific and host plant localization. Odorant binding proteins (OBPs) facilitate the transport of odorant compounds across the sensillum lymph within the insect olfactory system, enabling their interaction with odorant receptors (ORs).
Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses, fluorescence-based competitive binding assays, and molecular docking analyses were applied to assess the expression and ligand-binding properties of OBP38 from .
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