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Li G, Wang L, Ye F, Li S, Yu H. Molecular determinants of olfactory receptor activation: Comparative analysis of Olfr205 and Olfr740 family member responses to indole. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 758:110061. [PMID: 38880319 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.110061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Indole is widely present in nature and contributes significantly to the smell of flowers and animal excretion. However, the odor perception mechanism for indole is unclear, despite previous reports suggesting that it activates the Olfr740 family of receptors. In this study, we successfully identified another receptor, Olfr205, that is responsive to indole. Molecular model construction and binding pocket analysis predicted that the A202 residue in transmembrane helix 5 of Olfr205 forms a crucial hydrogen bond with indole, facilitating receptor activation. Additionally, G112 in transmembrane helix 3 of the Olfr740 family is involved in indole activation of receptors. Finally, our mutant function assay showed that substitution of A202 in Olfr205 and G112 in Olfr740 with other amino acids significantly decreased the receptor response to indole, which provides robust evidence to confirm the docking results. In summary, our study is the first to reveal that Olfr205 is an olfactory receptor distinct from those in the Olfr740 family that is activated by indole. Moreover, these receptors display different indole-binding mechanisms. This study sheds light on molecular binding mechanisms and contributes to a deeper understanding of indole perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyao Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, PR China
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, PR China
| | - Fangzhou Ye
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, PR China
| | - Shengju Li
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, PR China; Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA.
| | - Hongmeng Yu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, PR China; Research Units of New Technologies of Endoscopic Surgery in Skull Base Tumor (2018RU003), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, PR China.
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Lalis M, Hladiš M, Khalil SA, Briand L, Fiorucci S, Topin J. M2OR: a database of olfactory receptor-odorant pairs for understanding the molecular mechanisms of olfaction. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D1370-D1379. [PMID: 37870437 PMCID: PMC10767820 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian sense of smell is triggered by interaction between odorant molecules and a class of proteins, called olfactory receptors (ORs). These receptors, expressed at the surface of olfactory sensory neurons, encode myriad of distinct odors via a sophisticated activation pattern. However, determining the molecular recognition spectrum of ORs remains a major challenge. The Molecule to Olfactory Receptor database (M2OR, https://m2or.chemsensim.fr/) provides curated data that allows an easy exploration of the current state of the research on OR-molecule interaction. We have gathered a database of 75,050 bioassay experiments for 51 395 distinct OR-molecule pairs. Drawn from published literature and public databases, M2OR contains information about OR responses to molecules and their mixtures, receptor sequences and experimental details. Users can obtain information on the activity of a chosen molecule or a group of molecules, or search for agonists for a specific OR or a group of ORs. Advanced search allows for fine-grained queries using various metadata such as species or experimental assay system, and the database can be queried by multiple inputs via a batch search. Finally, for a given search query, users can access and download a curated aggregation of the experimental data into a binarized combinatorial code of olfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxence Lalis
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Matej Hladiš
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Samar Abi Khalil
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Loïc Briand
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Bourgogne, F-21000 Dijon, France
| | - Sébastien Fiorucci
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108 Nice, France
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Emter R, Merillat C, Dossenbach S, Natsch A. The trilogy of human musk receptors: linking receptor activation, genotype, and sensory perception. Chem Senses 2024; 49:bjae015. [PMID: 38591752 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The scent of musk plays a unique role in the history of perfumery. Musk odorants comprise 6 diverse chemical classes and perception differences in strength and quality among human panelists have long puzzled the field of olfaction research. Three odorant receptors (OR) had recently been described for musk odorants: OR5AN1, OR1N2, and OR5A2. High functional expression of the difficult-to-express human OR5A2 was achieved by a modification of the C-terminal domain and the link between sensory perception and receptor activation for the trilogy of these receptors and their key genetic variants was investigated: All 3 receptors detect only musky smelling compounds among 440 commercial fragrance compounds. OR5A2 is the key receptor for the classes of polycyclic and linear musks and for most macrocylic lactones. A single P172L substitution reduces the sensitivity of OR5A2 by around 50-fold. In parallel, human panelists homozygous for this mutation have around 40-60-fold higher sensory detection threshold for selective OR5A2 ligands. For macrocyclic lactones, OR5A2 could further be proven as the key OR by a strong correlation between in vitro activation and the sensory detection threshold in vivo. OR5AN1 is the dominant receptor for the perception of macrocyclic ketones such as muscone and some nitromusks, as panelists with a mutant OR5A2 are still equally sensitive to these ligands. Finally, OR1N2 appears to be an additional receptor involved in the perception of the natural (E)-ambrettolide. This study for the first time links OR activation to sensory perception and genetic polymorphisms for this unique class of odorants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Emter
- Fragrances S&T, Ingredients Research, Givaudan Schweiz AG, Kemptthal, Switzerland
| | - Christel Merillat
- Fragrances S&T, Ingredients Research, Givaudan Schweiz AG, Kemptthal, Switzerland
| | - Sandro Dossenbach
- Fragrances S&T, Ingredients Research, Givaudan Schweiz AG, Kemptthal, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Natsch
- Fragrances S&T, Ingredients Research, Givaudan Schweiz AG, Kemptthal, Switzerland
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Trimmer C, Arroyave R, Vuilleumier C, Wu L, Dumer A, DeLaura C, Kim J, Pierce GM, Borisovska M, De Nanteuil F, Emberger M, Varganov Y, Margot C, Rogers ME, Pfister P. Allosteric modulation of a human odorant receptor. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1523-1534.e4. [PMID: 36977419 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Odor perception is first determined by how the myriad of environmental volatiles are detected at the periphery of the olfactory system. The combinatorial activation of dedicated odorant receptors generates enough encoding power for the discrimination of tens of thousands of odorants. Recent studies have revealed that odorant receptors undergo widespread inhibitory modulation of their activity when presented with mixtures of odorants, a property likely required to maintain discrimination and ensure sparsity of the code for complex mixtures. Here, we establish the role of human OR5AN1 in the detection of musks and identify distinct odorants capable of enhancing its activity in binary mixtures. Chemical and pharmacological characterization indicate that specific α-β unsaturated aliphatic aldehydes act as positive allosteric modulators. Sensory experiments show decreased odor detection threshold in humans, suggesting that allosteric modulation of odorant receptors is perceptually relevant and likely adds another layer of complexity to how odors are encoded in the peripheral olfactory system.
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Shirai T, Takase D, Yokoyama J, Nakanishi K, Uehara C, Saito N, Kato-Namba A, Yoshikawa K. Functions of human olfactory mucus and age-dependent changes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:971. [PMID: 36653421 PMCID: PMC9846672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27937-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Odorants are detected by olfactory sensory neurons, which are covered by olfactory mucus. Despite the existence of studies on olfactory mucus, its constituents, functions, and interindividual variability remain poorly understood. Here, we describe a human study that combined the collection of olfactory mucus and olfactory psychophysical tests. Our analyses revealed that olfactory mucus contains high concentrations of solutes, such as total proteins, inorganic elements, and molecules for xenobiotic metabolism. The high concentrations result in a capacity to capture or metabolize a specific repertoire of odorants. We provide evidence that odorant metabolism modifies our sense of smell. Finally, the amount of olfactory mucus decreases in an age-dependent manner. A follow-up experiment recapitulated the importance of the amount of mucus in the sensitive detection of odorants by their receptors. These findings provide a comprehensive picture of the molecular processes in olfactory mucus and propose a potential cause of olfactory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Shirai
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Dan Takase
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Junkichi Yokoyama
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Edogawa Hospital, 2-24-18 Higashikoiwa, Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nadogaya Hospital, 2-1-1 Shinkashiwa, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kuniyuki Nakanishi
- Analytical Science Research, Kao Corporation, 1334 Minato, Wakayama, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Chisaki Uehara
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Naoko Saito
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Aya Kato-Namba
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Keiichi Yoshikawa
- Sensory Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2606 Akabane, Ichikai-machi, Haga, Tochigi, Japan.
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