STUDY TITLE: Sequence Variants in TAAR5 and Other Loci Affect Human Odor Perception and Naming
SUMMARY: Identification of a region of the genome associated with the ability to recognize the smell of cinnamon.
OVERVIEW: The perception of smell is enabled by olfactory receptors, which are proteins that bind odor molecules. Humans have about 350 olfactory receptor genes that each can detect a number of different odor compounds that together can create a vast number of different scents. However, when presented with the same smell, different individuals vary in their ability to identify the smell. This genome-wide association study looked at the genomes of over 11,000 Icelandic people to identify the genetics underlying differences in the detection of the scent of cinnamon. The researchers found one region of the genome associated with an individual’s ability to recognize the scent of cinnamon. The variant lies between multiple olfactory receptor genes, including one (OR52D1) that has previously been found to play a role in the detection of at least 45 different odor compounds.
DID YOU KNOW? Recent studies have found that the human olfactory system may be able to detect over a trillion scents. [SOURCE]
SAMPLE RESULTS: Learn more about the Nebula Research Library.
SMELL RECOGNITION-ASSOCIATED VARIANTS: rs317787
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
How do we smell? (Video)
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WEEKLY UPDATE: October 17, 2020
