Scents and sense: in silico perspectives on olfactory receptors

Olfactory receptors (ORs) represent the largest subfamily of the superfamily G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This family of membrane receptors functions as essential gateway for activation of many cellular signaling pathways. Finding universal principles underlying GPCR activation by studying ORs is important for the design of new therapeutics that target olfaction-related and other GPCR-malfunctioning diseases. In addition, gaining knowledge regarding the interactions between ORs and their cognate ligands (odorants) may contribute to solve the puzzle of how odor perception is encoded in humans. As no crystal structure of an OR is available yet, homology modeling can be applied to generate a three-dimensional OR model. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and qualitative structure-activity-relationship can further guide experimental research by investigating interactions at the atomic level. This article will review these computational techniques as well as present databases and popular software suites, which can support researchers in the OR research field.