The human OR1G1 olfactory receptor is differentially activated by various sandalwood odorants. A joint approach combining in silico and in vitro experiments

Abstract

International audienceSandalwood is a highly valuable component in perfumery. The action mode of sandalwood odorant molecules remains to be addressed. In fact, olfactory receptors involved in their perception have not yet been identified. The interaction of a human olfactory receptor, hOR1G1, with sandalwood odorants has been investigated. By means of cellular biology and functional tests experiments, we provide an additional insight to our atomic model of OR1G1 and our olfactophore approach performed on various odorants. The studied odorants cover a wide range of structures and sandalwood intensities. We experimentally show that beta-santalol is a strong agonist of hOR1G1, contrarily to alpha-santalol and other closely related compounds. An atomic-scale model is then inferred through the use of both a sandalwood pharmacophore and the prediction of the position of these compounds within the cavity of the receptor