The Unpredictability of Odor

Sell, Charles S.

doi:10.1002/chin.200701240

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…First, that molecular shape is an adequate predictor of smell (2,30,32), which currently seems unlikely (33,34). In fact, Drosophila has only 62 olfactory receptors (35), suggesting that a single receptor must generally respond to multiple odorants, but in addition that a single odorant can activate multiple receptors (10,15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular vibration-sensing component in Drosophila melanogaster olfaction

Franco

Turin

Mershin

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

176

218

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A common explanation of molecular recognition by the olfactory system posits that receptors recognize the structure or shape of the odorant molecule. We performed a rigorous test of shape recognition by replacing hydrogen with deuterium in odorants and asking whether Drosophila melanogaster can distinguish these identically shaped isotopes. We report that flies not only differentiate between isotopic odorants, but can be conditioned to selectively avoid the common or the deuterated isotope. Furthermore, flies trained to discriminate against the normal or deuterated isotopes of a compound, selectively avoid the corresponding isotope of a different odorant. Finally, flies trained to avoid a deuterated compound exhibit selective aversion to an unrelated molecule with a vibrational mode in the energy range of the carbon-deuterium stretch. These findings are inconsistent with a shape-only model for smell, and instead support the existence of a molecular vibrationsensing component to olfactory reception.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular vibration-sensing component in Drosophila melanogaster olfaction

Franco

Turin

Mershin

et al. 2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

176

218

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“…One theory is that the odorant fits the receptor like a 'lock and key', similarly to the previous §2. However, designing odorants based on such shape complementarity between receptor and odorant (analgous to the substrate and enzyme) proves that this theory alone is not sufficient to explain olfactory response [25]. For one thing, very diversely shaped molecules can initiate the same receptor and conversely some sameshaped molecules initiate non-mutual receptors, such that the receptors are often referred to as simultaneously 'discriminatory' and 'promiscuous'.…”

Section: Olfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum effects in biology: golden rule in enzymes, olfaction, photosynthesis and magnetodetection

Brookes

2017

Proc. R. Soc. A.

109

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Despite certain quantum concepts, such as superposition states, entanglement, 'spooky action at a distance' and tunnelling through insulating walls, being somewhat counterintuitive, they are no doubt extremely useful constructs in theoretical and experimental physics. More uncertain, however, is whether or not these concepts are fundamental to biology and living processes. Of course, at the fundamental level all things are quantum, because all things are built from the quantized states and rules that govern atoms. But when does the quantum mechanical toolkit become the best tool for the job? This review looks at four areas of 'quantum effects in biology'. These are biosystems that are very diverse in detail but possess some commonality. They are all (i) effects in biology: rates of a signal (or information) that can be calculated from a form of the 'golden rule' and (ii) they are all protein-pigment (or ligand) complex systems. It is shown, beginning with the rate equation, that all these systems may contain some degree of quantum effect, and where experimental evidence is available, it is explored to determine how the quantum analysis aids in understanding of the process.

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“…Ninety years later, in his review "On the Unpredictability of Odor," Charles Sell concluded that there are no molecular features of the odorant that directly determine perceptive quality and that it "would seem that consistently accurate prediction of odors are not possible for a very considerable time" (Sell, 2006). Further complicating this situation, interactions between physical properties (e.g.…”

Section: The Stimulusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding smell—The olfactory stimulus problem

Auffarth

2013

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Please cite this article as: Auffarth, B., Understanding smell -the olfactory stimulus problem, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.009. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Page 1 of 27 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t -For the olfactory system, a topographic organization is disputed. -However, work on different species suggests a topography in olfaction.-We compare other modalities such as taste and color vision.-We discuss the utility of a categorization of smell perception. *Highlights (for review)Page 2 of 27 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews The main problem with sensory processing is the difficulty in relating sensory input to physiological responses and perception. This is especially problematic at higher levels of processing, where complex cues elicit highly specific responses. In olfaction, this relationship is particularly obfuscated by the difficulty of characterizing stimulus statistics and perception. The core questions in olfaction are hence the so-called stimulus problem, which refers to the understanding of the stimulus, and the structure-activity and structure-odor relationships, which refer to the molecular basis of smell. It is widely accepted that the recognition of odorants by receptors is governed by the detection of physico-chemical properties and that the physical space is highly complex. Not surprisingly, ideas differ about how odor stimuli should be classified and about the very nature of information that the brain extracts from odors. Even though there are many measures for smell, there is none that accurately describes all aspects of it. Here, we summarize recent developments in the understanding of olfaction. We argue that an approach to olfactory function where information processing is emphasized could contribute to a high degree to our understanding of smell as a perceptual phenomenon emerging from neural computations. Further, we argue that combined analysis of the stimulus, biology, physiology, and behavior and perception can provide new insights into olfactory function. We hope that the reader can use this review as a competent guide and overview of research activities in olfactory physiology, psychophysics, computation, and psychology. We propose avenues for research, particularly in the systematic characteriza...

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The Unpredictability of Odor

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Cited by 12 publications

References 1 publication

Molecular vibration-sensing component in Drosophila melanogaster olfaction

Molecular vibration-sensing component in Drosophila melanogaster olfaction

Quantum effects in biology: golden rule in enzymes, olfaction, photosynthesis and magnetodetection

Understanding smell—The olfactory stimulus problem

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