A Multigene Family Encoding a Diverse Array of Putative Pheromone Receptors in Mammals
Open accessAbstract
The vomeronasal organ of mammals is an olfactory sensory structure that detects pheromones. It contains two subsets of sensory neurons that differentially express G alpha(o) and G alpha(i2). By comparing gene expression in single neurons, we identified a novel multigene family that codes for a diverse array of candidate pheromone receptors (VRs) expressed by the G alpha(o)+ subset. Different VRs are expressed by different neurons, but those neurons are interspersed, suggesting a distributed mode of sensory coding. Chromosome mapping experiments suggest an evolutionary connection between genes encoding VRs and receptors for volatile odorants. However, a dramatically different structure for VRs and the existence of variant VR mRNA forms indicate that there are diverse strategies to detect functionally distinct sensory stimuli.
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Mammalian species with functional VNOs express two families of genes (V1R and V2R) that appear to code for 'seven transmembrane domain' membrane proteins thought to be the chemoreceptor molecules themselves.
“Recent evidence (Dulac and Axel, 1995;Herrada and Dulac, 1997;Matsunami and Buck, 1997;Ryba and Tirrindelli, 1997) suggests that mammalian species with functional VNOs express two families of genes (V1R and V2R) that appear to code for 'seven transmembrane domain' membrane proteins thought to be the chemoreceptor molecules themselves.”
From Human Vomeronasal Organ Function: A Critical Review of Best and Worst Cases (2001) · cites this paper as Matsunami and Buck, 1997
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- Authors
- Matsunami, H., & Buck, L. B.
- Affiliations
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Buck, Linda B
- Venue
- Cell
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1997-08
- Volume
- 90
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 775-784
- ISSN
- 0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2005637545
- Cited by
- 706
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 24.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cell (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Keywords
- vomeronasal receptors, pheromone receptors, vomeronasal organ, G protein alpha o, G protein alpha i2, sensory neurons, gene family, chromosome mapping, olfactory receptors, alternative mRNA splicing, receptor evolution
- MeSH terms
- Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Chemoreceptor Cells, Chromosome Mapping, Cloning, Molecular, Multigene Family, Genetic Linkage, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Molecular Sequence Data, Neurons, Afferent, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, In Situ Hybridization, Vomeronasal Organ, GTP-Binding Proteins, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go, Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Mice, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunit, Gi2
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