Study of olfactory-compatible smell sensor prototype by using odorant receptors

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The olfactory system can discriminate between chiral odorants by differences in nano-scale molecular structures in a few seconds, whereas instrumental analyses hardly identify or separate one of each pair from another. Similarily, artificial odor sensors have not realized olfactory-compatible performance in odor discrimination. In this study, we have attempted to develop a prototype of olfactory compatible artificial nose by developing its key technology including odorant-receptor-expressed elemental sensors and algorithm of odor information processing. The results are summarized as follows : 1. A few of odorant receptors were functionally expressed in HEK293 cells by coexpressing two chaperones of RTP1 and RTP2 (Saito, H., et al., Cell, 119 : 679-691 (2004)), showing response reproducibility and original odor responsiveness of olfactory receptor neurons expressing its receptors. This elemental sensor would innovate artificial nose technology by conserving excellent performance of odorant receptors in odor discrimination. For recruitment of many other odorant receptors into a new artificial nose, it is necessary to find another chaperone to help the other receptors be expressed in cultured cells. 2. Difference and identity of receptor codes between a floral chiral odorant pair has been partially revealed. 3. Electrophysiological data obtained in the olfactory cortex of guinea-pig isolated whole brain with nose attached have supported our hypothesis of algorithm of receptor-sensitivity-dependent hierarchical odor information coding. We have continued to collect receptor code data for typical odorants and to construct array of elemental odor sensors expressing odorant receptors. At present, this approach forwarded to develop innovative artificial nose as olfactory-compatible sensors.