Genomics Inform.  2018 Mar;16(1):2-9. 10.5808/GI.2018.16.1.2.

System-Wide Expression and Function of Olfactory Receptors in Mammals

• Oh SJ

• KMID: 2413245
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5808/GI.2018.16.1.2

Abstract

Olfactory receptors (ORs) in mammals are generally considered to function as chemosensors in the olfactory organs of animals. They are membrane proteins that traverse the cytoplasmic membrane seven times and work generally by coupling to heterotrimeric G protein. The OR is a G protein-coupled receptor that binds the guanine nucleotide-binding G(αolf) subunit and the Gβγ dimer to recognize a wide spectrum of organic compounds in accordance with its cognate ligand. Mammalian ORs were originally identified from the olfactory epithelium of rat. However, it has been recently reported that the expression of ORs is not limited to the olfactory organ. In recent decades, they have been found to be expressed in diverse organs or tissues and even tumors in mammals. In this review, the expression and expected function of olfactory receptors that exist throughout an organism's system are discussed.

Keyword

chemosensory receptor; ectopic expression; G protein-coupled receptor; olfactory receptor; system-wide expression

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cell Membrane
Ectopic Gene Expression
GTP-Binding Proteins
Guanine
Mammals*
Membrane Proteins
Olfactory Mucosa
Rats
GTP-Binding Proteins
Guanine
Membrane Proteins