Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Feb;18(2):116-138.
doi: 10.1038/s41573-018-0002-3.

Therapeutic potential of ectopic olfactory and taste receptors

Sung-Joon Lee #  1 , Inge Depoortere #  2 , Hanns Hatt #  3
Affiliations
Review

Therapeutic potential of ectopic olfactory and taste receptors

Sung-Joon Lee et al. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

Olfactory and taste receptors are expressed primarily in the nasal olfactory epithelium and gustatory taste bud cells, where they transmit real-time sensory signals to the brain. However, they are also expressed in multiple extra-nasal and extra-oral tissues, being implicated in diverse biological processes including sperm chemotaxis, muscle regeneration, bronchoconstriction and bronchodilatation, inflammation, appetite regulation and energy metabolism. Elucidation of the physiological roles of these ectopic receptors is revealing potential therapeutic and diagnostic applications in conditions including wounds, hair loss, asthma, obesity and cancers. This Review outlines current understanding of the diverse functions of ectopic olfactory and taste receptors and assesses their potential to be therapeutically exploited.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Silva Teixeira, C. S., Cerqueira, N. M. & Silva Ferreira, A. C. Unravelling the olfactory sense: from the gene to odor perception. Chem. Senses 41, 105–121 (2016). This is a comprehensive review of the role played by ORs and associated signalling pathways in sensory olfactory neurons.
    1. Wackermannova, M., Pinc, L. & Jebavy, L. Olfactory sensitivity in mammalian species. Physiol. Res. 65, 369–390 (2016).
    1. Breslin, P. A. S. An evolutionary perspective on food and human taste. Curr. Biol. 23, R409–R418 (2013). - PubMed - PMC
    1. Dalton, R. P. & Lomvardas, S. Chemosensory receptor specificity and regulation. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 38, 331–349 (2015). - PubMed - PMC
    1. Ihara, S., Yoshikawa, K. & Touhara, K. Chemosensory signals and their receptors in the olfactory neural system. Neuroscience 254, 45–60 (2013).

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources