Wang Jingtao, Zhang Qidong, Fan Wu, Shi Qingzhao, Mao Jian, Xie Jianping, Chai Guobi, Zhang Chenglei
College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Department of tobacco flavor, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Front Mol Biosci. 2025 Jan 8;11:1498796. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1498796. eCollection 2024.
Olfactory receptors, classified as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), have been a subject of scientific inquiry since the early 1950s. Historically, investigations into the sensory mechanisms of olfactory receptors were often confined to behavioral characteristics in model organisms or the expression of related proteins and genes. However, with the development of cryo-electron microscopy techniques, it has gradually become possible to decipher the specific structures of olfactory receptors in insects and humans. This has provided new insights into the binding mechanisms between odor molecules and olfactory receptors. Furthermore, due to the rapid advancements in related fields such as computer simulations, the prediction and exploration of odor molecule binding to olfactory receptors have been progressively achieved through molecular dynamics simulations. Through this comprehensive review, we aim to provide a thorough analysis of research related to the binding mechanisms between odor molecules and olfactory receptors from the perspectives of structural biology and molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, we will provide an outlook on the future of research in the field of olfactory receptor sensory mechanisms.
嗅觉受体被归类为G蛋白偶联受体（GPCRs），自20世纪50年代初以来一直是科学研究的对象。从历史上看，对嗅觉受体感觉机制的研究往往局限于模式生物的行为特征或相关蛋白质和基因的表达。然而，随着冷冻电子显微镜技术的发展，逐渐有可能破译昆虫和人类嗅觉受体的具体结构。这为气味分子与嗅觉受体之间的结合机制提供了新的见解。此外，由于计算机模拟等相关领域的快速发展，通过分子动力学模拟逐步实现了对气味分子与嗅觉受体结合的预测和探索。通过这篇全面的综述，我们旨在从结构生物学和分子动力学模拟的角度，对与气味分子和嗅觉受体之间结合机制相关的研究进行深入分析。最后，我们将对嗅觉受体感觉机制领域的未来研究进行展望。
