Identification of Candidate Drosophila Olfactory Receptors from Genomic DNA Sequence

Synaptic Integration of Olfactory Information in Mouse Anterior Olfactory Nucleus

“…At the periphery, olfactory receptor proteins in both insects and mammals are seven transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptors coded by a similar gene family (Buck and Axel, 1991;Clyne et al, 1999;Gao and Chess, 1999;Vosshall et al, 1999). An intriguing structural parallel is that olfactory receptor neurons expressing the same olfactory receptor make convergent projections onto second-order neurons, which are located in the antennal lobe of the insect or the MOB of the mammal.…”

Genes encoding candidate pheromone receptors in a moth ( Heliothis virescens )

“…To find new genes encoding candidate chemoreceptors, we extended the strategy that was used successfully to detect the first candidate olfactory receptors in H. virescens (12) by using the sequences of Heliothis receptor 1-9 (HR1-HR9) and of newly identified HRs, as well as the sequences of candidate olfactory receptors from Drosophila melanogaster (4)(5)(6)(7)(8) and Anopheles gambiae (9)(10)(11) in BLAST analyses (22,23) of the nonpublic Heliothis genomic database.…”

“…These specialized cells generate electrical signals upon interaction with appropriate chemical compounds. Experimental evidence indicating that the underlying chemoelectrical transduction process is mediated by means of odor-activated G protein-secondmessenger cascades, a mechanism used by most chemosensory cells (3), supports the notion that receptors for odorous compounds in insects should be members of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily; however, it was only with the aid of sequenced genomes that genes encoding candidate odorant receptors from insects were identified recently in fly (4)(5)(6)(7)(8), mosquito (9)(10)(11), and moth (12) models. Despite the progress in identification and characterization of insect olfactory receptors, receptors for insect pheromones are still elusive.…”

Diversity and expression of odorant receptors in Drosophila

“…By 1998, sequencing of the Drosophila genome was approximately 15 percent completed. Three research groups exploited these sequences to report the identification of candidate Drosophila odorant receptor (DOR) genes in 1999 Gao and Chess, 1999;Vosshall et al, 1999). Although the genomic sequences were highly fragmented and unannotated, all three groups used the logic that if the ORs constituted a multi-gene family of at least 100 members, then at least 10 genes should be represented in the partial genomic sequence then available.…”

“…Figure 19.2 Mining Drosophila genome databases for OR genes. Flow chart illustrating the general steps used by three different groups to identify OR genes in raw genomic DNA Gao and Chess, 1999;Vosshall et al, 1999). Sequence files from Drosophila genome databases were downloaded and subjected to a variety of gene-finding programs.…”