Olfactory Receptors: Microarray Analysis

Olfactory receptors (ORs) constitute the largest family of G-protein-coupled receptors. By means of a high-throughput microarray-based method for studying OR gene expression, tissue-specific expression in the olfactory sensory epithelium has been observed for most OR genes, and OR-like genes have been identified by their specific expression in nonolfactory tissues. The spatial and temporal patterns of OR expression provide new insights into transcriptional regulation of this gene family. The unique, custom array design also permits the characterization of the 3′ untranslated regions for ORs, which are important for posttranscriptional regulation. OR microarrays have been proved to be tremendously useful tools for understanding the molecular basis of the chemical senses.