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Receptors

Chemical courtship in mice

Nature Chemical Biology volume 9, pages 140–141 (2013)Cite this article

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Physiologically relevant ligands for mammalian odorant receptors have been elusive. A mouse odorant receptor–based bioassay has now been used to guide purification and identification of a natural ligand that mediates attraction of female mice to male urine.

Animals as diverse as mice and mosquitoes use large arrays of receptors to sample volatile chemicals in the environment around them. Mammalian olfactory receptors, an enormous family of G protein–coupled receptors, were discovered in 1991 (ref. 2). However, the study of these receptors was hindered by a lack of successful heterologous expression methods, and the receptors became rather famous for their recalcitrance. For many years, it was only through the most extraordinary of efforts that even a single olfactory receptor could be characterized3. Eventually, the problems of heterologous expression were resolved, and a variety of approaches, primarily using HEK cells and Xenopus oocytes4, allowed large-scale screening, de-orphaning and detailed characterization of mammalian olfactory receptors5,6. Despite this progress, the physiological relevance of odorant ligands that have been paired with particular olfactory receptors remains unclear. At best, these compounds may be considered potential physiological ligands. In the natural environment, what are these receptors supposed to detect? Until now, the answer to this question was largely out of reach.

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Figure 1: An olfactory receptor–based bioassay identifies a natural, behaviorally relevant odorant ligand.

Dario Calcines

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  1. Charles W. Luetje is in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.,

    Charles W Luetje

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  1. Charles W Luetje
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Correspondence to Charles W Luetje.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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Luetje, C. Chemical courtship in mice. Nat Chem Biol 9, 140–141 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.1180

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