Is there a different GPCR gprotein coupled receptors for eac

Is there a different GPCR (g-protein coupled receptors) for each smell? Or is there one overall GPCR that deals with all smells?

Solution

Answer:

Olfactory receptors or sense of smell receptors, present in the olfactory epithelium. They are the G-protein coupled receptors (GCPR) and they trigger nerve impulses which transmit the information about various kinds of smell to the brain. In human and terestrial vertibrates & rodents these GPCR are very large numbers (millions) and they are clustered within olfactory epithelium.

Research evidence implicate that every single olfactory receptor cell expresses one and only one of the odorant receptor genes. Thus, there are as many types of olfactory receptor cells as there are odorant receptors.