UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
             COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM

                            presents

     
	"Decoding odor recognition by mammalian odorant receptors"
	

                      Prof. Hiro Matsunami
                  (Duke University, U.S.A.)

                        25 April 2024 
                        13:00 -14:00 
                          Room D120

                  Everyone is Welcome to Attend
				  
				                               

Abstract:

The olfactory system discriminates a vast array of odors primarily through odorant receptors (ORs), yet the precise mechanisms of these receptors’ recognition abilities are not fully understood. A major challenge in olfaction research is determining how the system detects and distinguishes odorants with diverse physicochemical properties and molecular configurations. This process involves the combinatorial activation from hundreds of olfactory G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The process of ORs recognizing chemically diverse odorants is not well understood, primarily due to difficulties in visualizing odorant binding to ORs. Our research aims to provide mechanistic insights into how odorants bind to ORs by combining Cryo-EM structures, functional assays with site-directed mutagenesis, and molecular simulations of ORs. Our studies reveal distinct odorant-binding and activation mechanisms between ORs. Consequently, our study offers a basis for understanding molecular recognition of odorants by the OR superfamily. Our findings illuminate the molecular basis of odorant recognition, establishing a foundation for future research in this field.




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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://cs-colloq.cs.herts.ac.uk