Analysis of the transport mechanism of ligands for ectopic olfactory receptors

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K14781
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 38030:Applied biochemistry-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Nagashima Ayumi 東京工業大学, 生命理工学院, 助教 (20814461)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 嗅覚受容体 / 輸送体 / トランスポーター / アクアグリセロポリン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Olfactory receptors are expressed not only in the olfactory epithelium but also in non-olfactory tissues. However, in most cases it is not known whether the physiological levels of the ligands are present in vivo at the concentrations required for the activation of the receptors. Through bioinformatic analysis, I found olfactory receptors expressed in non-olfactory tissues and transporters expressed in the vicinity of these receptors. For the transporter expressed on the apical membrane side of the small intestine, I showed that after the gene encoding the transporter was tandemly duplicated in the ancestor of the ray-finned fish, the substrate selectivity of the transporter changed during evolution.

Free Research Field

感覚生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

アクアグリセロポリンにおける水以外の輸送基質選択性を生み出す分子機構についてはほとんど明らかになっていない。本研究成果はこれを解明する手掛かりとなり、他のアクアグリセロポリンの基質選択性に関する理解も大きく前進させると想定される。将来的には、新たな輸送基質の発見や、薬剤による輸送制御などへの応用が見込まれ、比較生理学分野のみならず栄養学分野などを含めた広範な学術領域への波及効果も期待される。