Extrasensory perception: Odorant and taste receptors beyond the nose and mouth

摘要: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of transmembrane and are prime therapeutic targets. The odorant taste account for over half GPCR repertoire, yet they generally excluded from large-scale, drug candidate analyses. Accumulating molecular evidence indicates that widely expressed throughout body functional beyond oronasal cavity - with roles including nutrient sensing, autophagy, muscle regeneration, regulation gut motility, protective airway reflexes, bronchodilation, respiratory disease. Given this expanding array actions, restricted perception these GPCRs as mere mediators smell is outdated. Moreover, delineation precise actions continues to be hampered by relative paucity selective specific experimental tools, well lack defined receptor pharmacology. In review, we summarize expression function in tissues nose mouth, highlight their broad potential physiology pathophysiology.