Olfactory Receptor Activation
Olfactory Receptor Activation - Related Videos
12:02
High-throughput Analysis of Mammalian Olfactory Receptors: Measurement of Receptor Activation via Luciferase Activity
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Cited by 16 •
2014
Olfactory receptor activation patterns encode odor identity, but the lack of published data identifying odorant ligands for mammalian olfactory receptors hinders the development of a comprehensive model of odor coding. This protocol describes a method to facilitate high-throughput identification of olfactory receptor ligands and quantification of receptor activation.
05:21
Whole Mount Immunolabeling of Olfactory Receptor Neurons in the Drosophila Antenna
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Cited by 7 •
2014
Herein we describe the process of whole mount immunostaining of Drosophila antennae, which enables us to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the diversification of olfactory receptor neurons (ORN)s.
08:08
Odorant-induced Responses Recorded from Olfactory Receptor Neurons using the Suction Pipette Technique
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Cited by 13 •
2012
Olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) convert odor signals first into a receptor current that in turn triggers action potentials that are conveyed to second order neurons in the olfactory bulb. Here we describe the suction pipette technique to record simultaneously the odorant-induced receptor current and action potentials from mouse ORNs.
01:03
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
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2024
The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...
02:52
Real-Time Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation in Recombinant Cells
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2025
Source: de March, C. A. et. al., Real-time In Vitro Monitoring of Odorant Receptor Activation by an Odorant in the Vapor Phase. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)This video demonstrates the method to monitor the real-time activation of odorant receptors in recombinant mammalian cells using luminescence measurement. Odorant binding triggers G-protein activation and cAMP production, activating glosensor proteins that emit luminescence upon substrate binding, providing a quantitative measure of receptor response.
FAQs
Binding initiates a signaling cascade rather than producing a neural signal directly. The activated G protein stimulates adenylyl cyclase, which raises cyclic AMP inside the sensory neuron. Cyclic AMP then opens ion channels, changing the neuron's electrical state. This sequence links recognition of a chemical molecule to depolarization and ultimately supports action-potential generation.
Cyclic AMP connects receptor signaling to the neuron's electrical response. Its increase after adenylyl cyclase activation opens ion channels, allowing the sensory neuron to depolarize. That electrical change is essential for moving from intracellular chemical signaling toward action potentials. Focusing on this intermediate helps researchers separate molecular detection from the subsequent neural signal.
At the sensory-neuron stage, receptor activation converts odorant information into neural signals that can be interpreted by the brain. Differences in detected chemical information, including odor identity, intensity, and combinations, therefore become relevant to neural coding. Studying this first stage helps researchers examine how chemical inputs are represented before they contribute to olfactory perception.
Investigating this process provides a way to connect molecular chemosensation with neural circuit function. Researchers can examine how an odorant-receptor interaction progresses through intracellular signaling, ion-channel opening, depolarization, and action-potential generation. This makes the system useful for studying sensory coding and the transformation of chemical information into activity in the nervous system.
Because the process begins at sensory neurons in the nasal epithelium, examining it can help identify how changes at an early sensory stage may affect smell. The process is therefore relevant to investigating smell loss and other neurological conditions. Such work links changes in odor detection or signal generation with broader questions about olfactory perception and neural function.
It provides a model for studying chemosensation, the detection of chemical information by sensory systems, while also connecting that detection to neural circuit function. This makes olfactory receptor activation relevant beyond odor perception alone. In neuroscience, it offers a focused framework for examining how molecular events in sensory neurons become signals that participate in brain-level processing.