Max Planck Researchers Incorporate Odorant Receptors into Artificial Membranes
An artificial nose could be a real benefit at times: this kind of biosensor could sniff out poisons, explosives or drugs//, for instance. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry recently revealed a technique for integrating me...Aromatherapy: Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety
...mbient odors, might be helpful to reduce anxiety and improve mood in dental offices. The researchers suggest further studies to investigate effects of odorant mixtures, as well as those of single odor molecules and effects of natural odor mixtures compared to synthetic products. ...Understanding The Role Of Olfaction In Taste
...in areas, which reflects increased activity. They used four odorants: chocolate for the food odour, and lavender for the non-food. They also chose two odorant chemicals - butanol and farnesol - to test a theory that the olfactory system distinguishes molecules according to whether they are more water soluble...E-Noses: Testing their mettle against fly noses
...oses. We then compared it with the performance of odorant receptors from the common house fly, Drosophila. ...e were made possible by recent descriptions of how odorant receptors function in Drosophila, which was the fi...ew knowledge of the fly's genome that made the fly odorant receptor work possible. ...New findings in taste and smell
...versity and evolution Wnt/-catenin signaling controls taste bud regeneration in mice Sensory adaptation in the vomeronasal organ Emx2 stimulates odorant receptor gene expression and controls OSN axon growth Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in olfactory sensory neurons medi...Shape changes in aroma-producing molecules determine the fragrances we detect
...perception of odors. Professor Ryan and his team wanted to learn how these receptor cells respond when odorants change their shape. They studied the odorant octanal, an eight-carbon aldehyde that occurs in many flowers and citrus fruits. Octanal is a structurally flexible molecule that can adapt to many di...Sniffing out a better chemical sensor
...onmental contaminants, and trace indicators of disease, in addition to monitoring industrial processes and aiding in space exploration. In animals, odorant molecules in the air enter the nostrils and bind with sensory neurons in the nose that convert the chemical interactions into an electrical signal tha...UC Davis chemical ecologist wins major award
...tion in insects and related arthropods." A pioneer in the field of insect olfaction, Leal is best known for his research on the mode of action of odorant binding proteins and odorant-degrading enzymes on the identification and synthesis of insect sex pheromones and on insect chemical communication. ...Bitter-tasting nectar and floral odors optimize outcrossing for plants
... The scientists also observed that nicotine in the nectar deters flower-eating insects which have a straightforward negative impact on reproduction. odorant attractants lure not only pollinators but also herbivores. Tobacco plants seem to solve this dilemma by using nicotine as a deterrent. ...American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- July 16, 2008
... and smells, the researchers suggest. MTS ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE "Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics of the Biosynthesis of the Earthy odorant Methylisoborneol in Streptomyces coelicolor" DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ja803639g CONTACT: David E. Cane, Ph.D. ...Duck-billed platypus genome sequence published
...milk. A good sense of smell is something mammals have in common. Compared to most mammals, chicken and lizard have a relatively poor complement of odorant receptor genes responsible for their ability to detect smells. Interestingly, platypus has about half as many odor receptors as do the mouse and other...Nobel laureate Dr. Linda Buck elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences 2008 Class of Fellows
...siology or medicine for her groundbreaking work on odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory sy...t of the lining of the nose and detect the inhaled odorant molecules. Buck and Axel showed that every singl...ory-receptor cell produces one and only one of the odorant receptor genes. Thus, there are as many types of o...Science expands Science Signaling, featuring research related to medical advances, and more
...EET functions by masking the odor that would attract the insect by blocking odorant receptors that require the olfactory co-receptor OR83b. M. Ditzen, M. Pellegrino, L. B. Vosshall, Insect odorant receptors are molecular targets of the insect repellent DEET. Science 319...