Molecular biology of odorant receptors in vertebrates

被引：253

作者：

Mombaerts, P ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] Rockefeller Univ, New York, NY 10021 USA

来源：

ANNUAL REVIEW OF NEUROSCIENCE | 1999年 / 22卷

关键词：

olfaction; smell; odor; olfactory epithelium; olfactory bulb;

D O I：

10.1146/annurev.neuro.22.1.487

中图分类号：

Q189 [神经科学];

学科分类号：

071006 ;

摘要：

The initial step in olfactory discrimination involves the interaction of odorous ligands with specific receptors on the surface of olfactory sensory neurons. The foundation for a molecular understanding of odor recognition in vertebrates was provided by the identification of a family of genes encoding putative odorant receptors, by Buck & Axel in 1991. Odorant receptor (OR) genes form the largest gene family in the vertebrate genome. This review summarizes progress over the past seven years. Major new insights are: Olfaction is accomplished in vertebrates by a very large number of receptors; olfactory sensory neurons express a small subset of the OR repertoire; in rat and mouse, axons of neurons expressing the same OR converge onto defined glomeruli in the olfactory bulb.

引用

页码：487 / 509

页数：23

共 92 条

[1] Genomic structure and transcription of a murine odorant receptor gene: Differential initiation of transcription in the olfactory and testicular cells [J].