生物谷報道：美國杜克大學(xué)和洛克菲勒大學(xué)研究人員16日發(fā)表報告稱,，人體的一種氣味感知基因決定著人們對人體汗液氣味的“看法”,。人類對氣味的感受為何會存在個體差異的謎團(tuán)就此揭開。
最新突破
這項研究結(jié)果于16日在《自然》雜志網(wǎng)站上公布,。由于它認(rèn)為人類氣味感知基因決定著人們對氣味的不同感受,，這項研究成果成為生物學(xué)氣味感知研究領(lǐng)域的一大突破,。
研究人員從人體汗液中的雄脂酮入手，成功找出造成人類氣味感受個體差異的關(guān)鍵因素——氣味感知基因,。
雄脂酮是睪丸激素分解后形成的一種化學(xué)成分,，通常存在于男性和女性分泌的汗液中，但在男性汗液中的含量更高,。
杜克大學(xué)研究人員松南宏明(音譯)和同事首先選擇了400種已知能夠辨別氣味的感知基因,，并對它們中分辨男性汗液氣味的化學(xué)成分進(jìn)行研究。
他們隨后發(fā)現(xiàn),，一種名為OR7D4的基因表現(xiàn)“搶眼”,，對隨汗液分泌的男性荷爾蒙雄脂酮反應(yīng)強(qiáng)烈。
個體差異
研究人員采集了洛克菲勒大學(xué)“氣味感受”測試中400名測試者的血樣,，對他們的脫氧核糖核酸(DNA)進(jìn)行排序比對,，以證明人們對男性汗液中雄脂酮氣味的感受不同是否由OR7D4的個體差異導(dǎo)致。
功夫不負(fù)有心人,。研究人員最終發(fā)現(xiàn),，基因OR7D4的個體差異決定著人們對雄脂酮氣味的感受。這也正是為什么對于同一種汗液,，有人會覺得刺鼻,，有人會覺得像香草般香甜，而有人則什么感覺也沒有,。
松南宏明在接受路透社采訪時說，人們會對隨汗液分泌的雄脂酮產(chǎn)生不同感受是不爭的事實,，但將人類氣味感知基因與它聯(lián)系起來尚屬首次,。
松南宏明表示，研究將繼續(xù)下去,，并逐步擴(kuò)展深入,。例如，研究人員將進(jìn)一步研究雄脂酮與人類性行為和社會行為之間的關(guān)系,，看看氣味究竟如何影響人類行為,。（今晚報）
原始出處：
Nature advance online publication 16 September 2007 | doi:10.1038/nature06162; Received 20 June 2007; Accepted 8 August 2007; Published online 16 September 2007
Genetic variation in a human odorant receptor alters odour perception
Andreas Keller1,4, Hanyi Zhuang2,4, Qiuyi Chi2, Leslie B. Vosshall1 & Hiroaki Matsunami2,3
Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Behaviour, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and,
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Centre, Research Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Leslie B. Vosshall1Hiroaki Matsunami2,3 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to H.M. (Email: [email protected]) and L.B.V.
Human olfactory perception differs enormously between individuals, with large reported perceptual variations in the intensity and pleasantness of a given odour. For instance, androstenone (5-androst-16-en-3-one), an odorous steroid derived from testosterone, is variously perceived by different individuals as offensive ("sweaty, urinous"), pleasant ("sweet, floral") or odourless1, 2, 3. Similar variation in odour perception has been observed for several other odours4, 5, 6. The mechanistic basis of variation in odour perception between individuals is unknown. We investigated whether genetic variation in human odorant receptor genes accounts in part for variation in odour perception between individuals7, 8. Here we show that a human odorant receptor, OR7D4, is selectively activated in vitro by androstenone and the related odorous steroid androstadienone (androsta-4,16-dien-3-one) and does not respond to a panel of 64 other odours and two solvents. A common variant of this receptor (OR7D4 WM) contains two non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), resulting in two amino acid substitutions (R88W, T133M; hence 'RT') that severely impair function in vitro. Human subjects with RT/WM or WM/WM genotypes as a group were less sensitive to androstenone and androstadienone and found both odours less unpleasant than the RT/RT group. Genotypic variation in OR7D4 accounts for a significant proportion of the valence (pleasantness or unpleasantness) and intensity variance in perception of these steroidal odours. Our results demonstrate the first link between the function of a human odorant receptor in vitro and odour perception.
