The molecular basis of sensitivity and specificity in olfaction

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26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The signaling pathways for converting odorant stimuli from the environment into a signal that is interpreted by the brain has largely been elucidated. The current and formidable challenges lie in understanding the interactions among the second messenger pathways, determining the specificity of olfactory receptors in recognizing chemically similar odorants, and elucidating the regulatory pathways that confine receptor expression to a small subset of the olfactory neurons. It is the sum total of these contributions that result in the ability of the olfactory system to detect odorant with high sensitivity and specificity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)33-38
Number of pages6
JournalSeminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1994

Keywords

  • Gene regulation
  • Odorant receptors
  • Olfaction
  • Second messenger

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology

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