New Paper : Trimethylamine can be detected by olfactory receptor 'TAAR5'
There is a ironic twist with metabolic malodors, that typically the sufferer nor 'loved ones' can typically detect the malodors. A few hypothesis are put forward as to why this may be, but it still remains a mystery.
It has been reported in a medical paper previously that some people may have a 'specific anosmia' to trimethylamine. A new paper seems to look at a part of the olfactory system not much known about ('The TAARS') and has demonstrated that TAAR 5 can detect trimethylamine. Whether this explains why people having a specific anosmia to trimethylamine, it is not known.
To compound matters further, those who have trimethylaminuria tend to report smelling of many malodors, with a 'fish odor' being a minor complaint if at all. So this begs the question if trimethylamine is a 'small player' in their range of malodors and yet they and their 'loved ones' seem to be unable to detect most of the malodors most of the time. While this has nothing to do with this paper, it is an ongoing mystery.
In this paper the conclusions are :
Since the identification of TAARs as a second class of olfactory receptors in the OE of vertebrates in the last decade, we have been able to show for the first time that human “olfactory” TAARs can be functional in a recombinant expression system. Human TAAR5 is specifically activated by TMA, a highly volatile aminic compound and the prototype of fishy odor. Thus, it imperatively stands to reason that also human TAAR orthologs can be functional in vivo and might be a molecular sensor for the detection of volatile amines. Moreover, as TMA occurs in bodily secretions, human TAAR receptors could revive the olfactory research of human social cues.
Trimethylamine olfactory receptor : Full paper
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2 comments:
If other peoples human nose can smell the odor than the odor is a problem. If no ones human nose can smell the odor it should nt be considered a problem. But my question is what does all this help? Will the device alert people only to odors the human nose can smell? Will the device diagnose anything? Why is it important to know why people can not smell themselves? I think figuring out why we do smell is more important so we can maybe in our life time have a chance at a more normal life.vknowing why we can not smell ourselves will not help us live normal lives.maybe the devic will alert you it detects an odor and as a result you know the smell is present. But hat does not help us live normal lives either. Even if we can not sell the odors we do not need devices to alert us of the odors because peoples comments always alert us of the odors. Could you explain in lamins terms why this is of importance? I think I may be missing something?
Hi. This is a 'filler' post since there is not much to report about.
Re your question ; I think a 'sensor' device would be useful in that then it would be a medical device used to monitor the condition and perhaps then notice connections bewteen diet and odor etc. Also it would make it easeir to explain to Dr's etc. A sensor would help as a way of monitoring the condition and as a diagnosis. Of course it does not replace finding a cure