Patent Picks are chosen by the editors from publicly available sources. Today's pick relates to polypeptides capable of enhancing odorant receptor activity.
Enhancing odorant receptor activity
U.S. Patent Application 20150376259
Publication date: Dec. 31, 2015
Inventors: H. Matsunami and Y. Li
This patent application relates to polypeptides capable of modulating odorant receptor activation via the type 3 muscarinic actetylcholine receptor M3, thus enhancing odorant receptor activation. The invention further provides assays to screen for polypeptide polymorphisms and mutations associated with odorant receptor activation, as well as methods to assess therapeutic agents, ligands and modulators of such proteins.
According to the inventors, experiments conducted in line with the present invention demonstrate the interaction of odorant receptors (ORs) with type 3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3, which is co-expressed with ORs in olfactory sensory neurons and important for the response of ORs to cognate odor ligands.
Patent application accessed Jan. 8, 2016.
