Search

Humans have significant individual variations in odor perception, derived from their experience or sometimes from differences in the olfactory receptor (OR) gene repertoire. In several cases, the genetic variation of a single OR affects the perception of its cognate odor ligand. Musks are widely used for fragrance and are known to demonstrate specific anosmia. It, however, remains to be elucidated whether the OR polymorphism contributes to individual variations in musk odor perception. Previous studies reported that responses of the human musk receptor OR5AN1 to a variety of musks in vitro correlated well with perceptual sensitivity to those odors in humans and that the mouse ortholog, Olfr1440 (MOR215-1), plays a critical role in muscone perception. Here, we took advantage of genetic variation in OR5AN1 to examine how changes in receptor sensitivity are associated with human musk perception. We investigated the functional differences between OR5AN1 variants in an in vitro assay and measured both perceived intensity and detection threshold in human subjects with different OR5AN1 genotypes. Human subjects homozygous for the more sensitive L289F allele had a lower detection threshold for muscone and found macrocyclic musks to be more intense than subjects homozygous for the reference allele. These results demonstrate that the genetic variation in OR5AN1 contributes to perceptual differences for some musks. In addition, we found that the more functional variant of OR5A1, a receptor involved in β-ionone perception, is associated with the less functional variant of OR5AN1, suggesting that the perceived intensities of macrocyclic musks and β-ionone are inversely correlated., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Among rodents, information about the external world is mainly acquired via the olfactory system, which is one of five sensory modalities. Several semiochemical signals are used for inter- and intraspecies communication [1]. In contrast, primates are generally regarded as vision-oriented mammals, and have been thought to trade their olfactory sensitivity for good sight. However, strepsirrhines have a well-developed olfactory system [2] and a larger repertoire of functional olfactory and vomeronasal receptor genes than haplorhines [3, 4]. Moreover, strepsirrhines are well known for their use of olfactory communication in social behavior. Ring-tailed lemurs are a species of Malagasy strepsirrhines, and use olfactory cues for conspecific communication. Male lemurs mark their scent by spreading volatiles from the antebrachial gland on their wrists. This study combined ethological and chemical approaches to identify a key odorant(s) in antebrachial secretions involved in the sexual communication of lemurs. The results of a behavioral assay indicated that females sniff the males' antebrachial secretions longer during the breeding season than during the nonbreeding season. By examining seasonal changes in volatiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we found that the secretion of three C12 and C14 aldehydes with a fruity and floral scent significantly increased during the breeding season in a testosterone-dependent manner. Females sniffed for longer at biologically relevant concentrations of two of the aldehydes (12-methyltridecanal and tetradecanal) and were attracted to a mixture of these plus the third aldehyde, dodecanal. Our results suggest that these aldehydes are putative lemur pheromones involved in the attractiveness of males to females during the breeding season., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The senses play critical roles in helping animals evaluate foods, including fruits that can change both in colour and scent during ripening to attract frugivores. Although numerous studies have assessed the impact of colour on fruit selection, comparatively little is known about fruit scent and how olfactory and visual data are integrated during foraging. We combine 25 months of behavioural data on 75 wild, white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) with measurements of fruit colours and scents from 18 dietary plant species. We show that frequency of fruit-directed olfactory behaviour is positively correlated with increases in the volume of fruit odours produced during ripening. Monkeys with red-green colour blindness sniffed fruits more often, indicating that increased reliance on olfaction is a behavioural strategy that mitigates decreased capacity to detect red-green colour contrast. These results demonstrate a complex interaction among fruit traits, sensory capacities and foraging strategies, which help explain variation in primate behaviour.

Parental caregiving is critical for the survival of our young and continuation of our species. In humans, visual and auditory signals from offspring have been shown to be potent facilitators of parenting. However, whether odors emitted by our young also influence human parenting remains unclear. To explore this, we conducted a series of questionnaire surveys targeting parents with children under 6 years old. First, we collected episodes on experiencing odors/sniffing various parts of a child's body (n = 507). The prevalence of experiencing events described in those episodes was examined in a separate survey (n = 384). Based on those results, the Child Odor in Parenting scale (COPs) was developed, and subsequently used in the main survey (n = 888). We found COPs to have adequate content validity, concurrent validity, and reliability. Responses to the COPs demonstrated that parents, especially mothers with infants, are aware of odors from their offspring, and actively seek them in daily child-rearing. The factor structure and content of the COPs items indicated that child odors have both affective and instrumental roles. Affective experiences induce loving feeling and affectionate sniffing, while instrumental experiences pertain to specific hygienic needs. The head was the most frequent source of affective experiences, and the child's bottom of instrumental. Each was experienced by more than 90% of the mothers with a child below 1 year of age. Affective experiences significantly declined as the child grew older, possibly associated with the decline of physical proximity between parents and child. This age-related decline was not prominent for instrumental experiences, except for the bottom, which significantly declined after 3 years of age. The present findings suggest that child odors play roles in human parenting, and that their nature and significance change during the course of a child's development.

Musk odors have been used widely for fragrance and medicine for >2000 years because of their fascinating scent and physiological effects. Therefore, fragrance manufacturers have been eager to develop high-quality musk compounds that are safe and easily synthesized. We recently identified muscone-responsive olfactory receptors (ORs) MOR215-1 and OR5AN1 in mice and humans, respectively (Shirasu et al., 2014). In this study, we identified musk ORs that are evolutionarily closely related to MOR215-1 or OR5AN1 in various primates and investigated structure-activity relationships for various musk odorants and related compounds. We found that each species has one or two functional musk ORs that exhibit specific ligand spectra to musk compounds. Some of them, including the human OR5AN1, responded to nitro musks with chemical properties distinct from muscone. The ligand specificity of OR5AN1 reflects the perception of musk odors in humans. Genetic deletion of MOR215-1 in mice resulted in drastic reduction of sensitivity to muscone, suggesting that MOR215-1 plays a critical role in muscone perception. Therefore, the current study reveals a clear link between the identified OR and muscone perception. Moreover, the strategy established for screening ligands for the muscone OR may facilitate the development of novel and commercially useful musk odors., Significance Statement: The long-sought musk odor receptor family in mammals was discovered and found to be well conserved and narrowly tuned to musk odors. In mice, deletion of the most sensitive musk receptor resulted in drastic reduction in sensitivity to muscone, demonstrating a strong link between receptor and odor perception. In humans, we found one musk receptor that recognized both macrocyclic and nitro musks that had distinct chemical structures. The structure-activity relationships were in a good agreement with human sensory perception and therefore may be used to develop novel musk aroma in fragrance fields. Finally, identification of a natural ligand(s) for musk receptors in mammals other than musk deer would reveal an evolutionarily pivotal role in each species in the future., (Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/364482-10$15.00/0.)

Musk odorants are used widely in cosmetic industries because of their fascinating animalic scent. However, how this aroma is perceived in the mammalian olfactory system remains a great mystery. Here, we show that muscone, one musk odor secreted by various animals from stink glands, activates a few glomeruli clustered in a neuroanatomically unique anteromedial olfactory bulb. The muscone-responsive glomeruli are highly specific to macrocyclic ketones; interestingly, other synthetic musk odorants with nitro or polycyclic moieties or ester bonds activate distinct but nearby glomeruli. Anterodorsal bulbar lesions cause muscone anosmia, suggesting that this region is involved in muscone perception. Finally, we identified the mouse olfactory receptor, MOR215-1, that was a specific muscone receptor expressed by neurons innervating the muscone-responsive anteromedial glomeruli and also the human muscone receptor, OR5AN1. The current study documents the olfactory neural pathway in mice that senses and transmits musk signals from receptor to brain., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As olfactory perceptions vary from person to person, it is difficult to describe smells objectively. In contrast, electronic noses also detect smells with their sensors, but in addition describe those using electronic signals. Here we showed a virtual connection method between a human nose perceptions and electronic nose responses with the smell of standard gases. In this method, Amorphophallus titanum flowers, which emit a strong carrion smell, could objectively be described using an electronic nose, in a way resembling the skill of sommeliers. We could describe the flower smell to be close to that of a mixture of methyl mercaptan and propionic acid, by calculation of the dilution index from electronic resistances. In other words, the smell resembled that of "decayed cabbage, garlic and pungent sour" with possible descriptors. Additionally, we compared the smells of flowers which bloomed on different dates and at different locations and showed the similarity of odor intensities visually, in standard gas categories. We anticipate our assay to be a starting point for a perceptive connection between our noses and electronic noses.

The titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, is a flowering plant with the largest inflorescence in the world. The flower emits a unique rotting animal-like odor that attracts insects for pollination. To determine the chemical identity of this characteristic odor, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry analysis of volatiles derived from the inflorescence. The main odorant causing the smell during the flower-opening phase was identified as dimethyl trisulfide, a compound with a sulfury odor that has been found to be emitted from some vegetables, microorganisms, and cancerous wounds.

Some advanced cancer patients suffer from pungent sulfury malodor. To determine the chemical identity of the odorant, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry analysis of volatiles from fungating cancer wounds. We identified the source of the characteristic smell as dimethyl trisulfide, a compound that is known to be emitted from some vegetables and microorganisms. Controlling the production of dimethyl trisulfide should improve quality of life of patients.

Metaphase spindles assemble to a steady state in length by mechanisms that involve microtubule dynamics and motor proteins, but they are incompletely understood. We found that Xenopus extract spindles recapitulate the length of egg meiosis II spindles, by using mechanisms intrinsic to the spindle. To probe these mechanisms, we perturbed microtubule polymerization dynamics and opposed motor proteins and measured effects on spindle morphology and dynamics. Microtubules were stabilized by hexylene glycol and inhibition of the catastrophe factor mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) (a kinesin 13, previously called XKCM) and destabilized by depolymerizing drugs. The opposed motors Eg5 and dynein were inhibited separately and together. Our results are consistent with important roles for polymerization dynamics in regulating spindle length, and for opposed motors in regulating the relative stability of bipolar versus monopolar organization. The response to microtubule destabilization suggests that an unidentified tensile element acts in parallel with these conventional factors, generating spindle shortening force.

Feeding activity in fasted rats resulted in an immediate increase in brain temperature and a decrease in rectal temperature. The temperature changes did not correlate with any specific property of the food nor with the amount eaten. The responses were judged to be the result of reflex vasomotor changes resulting in widespread shifts in the direction of blood flow. They were not related to the regulation of food intake.