Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 1: Systems and Network Biophysics

BP 1.8: Talk

Monday, March 18, 2024, 12:00–12:15, H 0112

The beginning of olfactory signal transduction: A theoretical model on the synergist-agonist threshold of G-protein-coupled receptors — •Won Kyu Kim — Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul 02455, South Korea

We present a chemical reaction network theory for olfactory sensing processes of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) as olfactory receptors (ORs). The theory is applicable to mixtures of odorants and any number of ORs. It explicitly considers reactions of ORs with G-proteins, with and without odorants. The theory introduces an odor activity vector, representing strengths of odorant-induced signals from ORs relative to those from background G-protein activity. Each vector component follows a Michaelis-Menten form, accounting for cooperation or competition effects between different odorants. The theory's main features are illustrated for a two-odorant mixture, quantitatively describing known and potential mixture effects, such as suppression, shadowing, inhibition, and synergy. The effects of rate constants, basal activity, and G-protein concentration are also demonstrated.

Keywords: Olfactory signal transduction; Rate theory; G protein; G-protein-coupled receptor