Olfactory receptors interact with odorant molecules in the nose, to initiate a neuronal response that triggers the perception of a smell. The olfactory receptor proteins are members of a large family of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) arising from single coding-exon genes. Olfactory receptors share a 7-transmembrane domain structure with many neurotransmitter and hormone receptors and are responsible for the recognition and G protein-mediated transduction of odorant signals. The olfactory receptor gene family is the largest in the genome. The nomenclature assigned to the olfactory receptor genes and proteins for this organism is independent of other organisms.[3]
↑Ben-Arie N, Lancet D, Taylor C, Khen M, Walker N, Ledbetter DH, Carrozzo R, Patel K, Sheer D, Lehrach H (Jul 1994). "Olfactory receptor gene cluster on human chromosome 17: possible duplication of an ancestral receptor repertoire". Hum Mol Genet. 3 (2): 229–235. doi:10.1093/hmg/3.2.229. PMID8004088.
↑Rouquier S, Taviaux S, Trask BJ, Brand-Arpon V, van den Engh G, Demaille J, Giorgi D (Mar 1998). "Distribution of olfactory receptor genes in the human genome". Nat Genet. 18 (3): 243–250. doi:10.1038/ng0398-243. PMID9500546.
Glusman G, Sosinsky A, Ben-Asher E, Avidan N, Sonkin D, Bahar A, Rosenthal A, Clifton S, Roe B, Ferraz C, Demaille J, Lancet D (2000). "Sequence, structure, and evolution of a complete human olfactory receptor gene cluster". Genomics. 63 (2): 227–245. doi:10.1006/geno.1999.6030. PMID10673334.
Matarazzo V, Zsürger N, Guillemot JC, Clot-Faybesse O, Botto JM, Dal Farra C, Crowe M, Demaille J, Vincent JP, Mazella J, Ronin C (2003). "Porcine odorant-binding protein selectively binds to a human olfactory receptor". Chem. Senses. 27 (8): 691–701. doi:10.1093/chemse/27.8.691. PMID12379593.
