Molecular modelling of odorant/olfactory receptor complexes

Methods Mol Biol. 2013:1003:53-65. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-377-0_4.

Abstract

Providing a rationale that associates a chemical structure of an odorant to its induced perception has been sought for a long time. To achieve this, a detailed atomic structure of both the odorant and the olfactory receptor must be known. State-of-the-art techniques to model the 3D structure of an olfactory receptor in complex with various odorants are presented here. These range from sequence alignment with known structures to molecular dynamics simulations in a realistic environment.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cell Membrane / chemistry
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry
  • Lipid Bilayers / metabolism
  • Molecular Docking Simulation*
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Odorants*
  • Phospholipids / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Receptors, Odorant / chemistry*
  • Receptors, Odorant / metabolism*
  • Solvents / chemistry

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Phospholipids
  • Receptors, Odorant
  • Solvents