In vivo patterns of receptor activation by odorants

 描述（由申请人提供）本项目使用新的体内测定法，其允许鉴定由任何气味在活小鼠中激活的气味受体，使得有可能在一个实验中鉴定由气味激活的许多受体。这加速了对任何气味敏感的受体的鉴定，并且当与针对个体气味受体的功能的体外测定相结合时，允许测试关于由气味剂和气味混合物激活的受体集的假设。第一个目标是针对广泛的气味物质的特定区域，测试对这些气味物质有反应的受体集合的重叠是否取决于它们的结构相似性。第二个目的是测试关于气味受体上气味之间可能的相互作用的假设。它开始于已知或怀疑相互作用的气味剂对，主要是通过一种气味剂阻止另一种气味剂激活一种或多种受体的能力。然后，它继续测试更复杂的混合物，试图确定受体之间的气味之间的相互作用效应-这些效应是气味特征感觉和区分一种气味的基础。除了提高我们对气味感知机制的理解外，这些实验还提供了预期有助于开发更复杂的操纵气味环境的方法以提高人类生活质量的知识。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) This project uses a new in vivo assay that allows the identification of the odorant receptors activated in live mice by any odor, making it possible to identify in one experiment many receptors activated by the odor. This accelerates the identification of receptors sensitive to any odor and when combined with in vitro assays for the function of individual odorant receptors, allows testing of hypotheses about the sets of receptors activated by odorants and odor mixtures. The first aim targets a specific region of the broad universe of odorants, testing whether the overlap in sets of receptors responsive to these odorants depends on their structural similarity. The second aim tests hypotheses about the possible interactions between odorants at odorant receptors. It begins with pairs of odorants that are known or suspected of interacting, mostly by the ability of one odorant to block activation of one or more receptors by another odorant. It then moves on to testing more complex mixtures, seeking to identify interactive effects between odorants at receptors - effects that are fundamental to the characteristic sensation of the odor and the discrimination of one odor from another. In addition to improving our understanding of the mechanisms of odor perception, these experiments provide knowledge expected to facilitate the development of more sophisticated ways of manipulating odor environments to benefit the quality of human life.