Metabolism of Odorant Molecules in Human Nasal/Oral Cavity Affects the Odorant Perception

Numerical modeling of odorant uptake in the rat nasal cavity.

An anatomically accurate 3-dimensional numerical model of the right rat nasal cavity was developed and used to compute low, medium, and high flow rate inspiratory and expiratory mucosal odorant uptake (imposed patterning) for 3 odorants with different mucus solubilities. The computed surface mass flux distributions were compared with anatomic receptor gene expression zones identified in the lit...

Olfaction: from odorant molecules to the olfactory cortex.

How do we smell? Our knowledge of how odor information from the environment is perceived has greatly advanced since the discovery of approximately 1,000 genes for odorant receptors in the mammalian genome. From the combination of molecular-genetic, electrophysiological, and optical imaging studies a better understanding of how we smell is emerging.

Insight into odorant perception: the crystal structure and binding characteristics of antibody fragments directed against the musk odorant traseolide.

Monoclonal antibodies were elicited against the small hydrophobic hapten traseolide, a commercially available musk fragrance. Antibody variable region sequences were found to belong to different sequence groups, and the binding characteristics of the corresponding antibody fragments were investigated. The antibodies M02/01/01 and M02/05/01 are highly homologous and differ in the binding pocket ...

Human Odorant Reception in the Common Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius Abbreviated title: Human Odorant Reception in the Common Bed Bug

Calmodulin Affects Sensitization of Drosophila melanogaster Odorant Receptors

Flying insects have developed a remarkably sensitive olfactory system to detect faint and turbulent odor traces. This ability is linked to the olfactory receptors class of odorant receptors (ORs), occurring exclusively in winged insects. ORs form heteromeric complexes of an odorant specific receptor protein (OrX) and a highly conserved co-receptor protein (Orco). The ORs form ligand gated ion c...