G Protein-Coupled Odorant Receptors: from sequence to structure

Odorant receptors (ORs) are the largest sub-family within Class-A G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). No experimental structural data of any OR is available to date and atomic-level insights are likely to be obtained by means of molecular modeling. In this article, we critically align sequences of ORs with those GPCRs for which a structure is available. Here, an alignment consistent with available site-directed mutagenesis data on various ORs is proposed. Using this alignment, the choice of the template is deemed rather minor for identifying residues that constitute the wall of the binding cavity or those involved in G-protein recognition.