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Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 19224

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sachiko Koyama

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Interests: How odors/aromas/pheromones affect physiological conditions, brain activities, and behaviors, such as: cutaneous regeneration, wound healing, gene expression, neurogenesis, brain development, sperm activities, sperm density, mammary gland development, preference to odors, and milk biosynthesis; pheripheral (olfactory) neurogenesis; adult neurogenesis, development of techniques utilizing microfluidic device, immunohistochemistry, microscopic analyses, live cell analyses, microfluidics, analyses of movements from cell level to animal behavior level, transcriptome analyses of genes, GC/MS analyses of odors/aromas/pheromones, chemical signaling, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, translational studies of chemical signaling, utilizing aromas on smell/taste training

Prof. Dr. Thomas Heinbockel

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Guest Editor

Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
Interests: translational medicine; drug discovery; public health; neural signaling and synaptic transmission in the central nervous system; functional organization of the olfactory and limbic system; cellular and network mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction studied with electrophysiological, optical, anatomical, and pharmacological methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Kenji Kondo

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Guest Editor

Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: Olfaction; Olfactory mucus; Bowman's glands in the olfactory mucosa; Olfactory dysfunction; Age-related changes; Neural mechanism in the allergic rhinitis; Cold-induced rhinitis; Pathophysiology of the eosinophilic rhinosinusitis; Airflow simulation in the nasal cavity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although the neuroscience and molecular biology of olfactory and gustatory sense have made an enormous progress during the last 30 years, there are still many venues that have not been visited yet. For example, there are still discussions about the mechanisms of sensing salty taste, and we still don’t know how we store the memory of the odors and tastes we experienced many years ago, although olfactory neurons and taste sensory cells are replaced periodically all through one’s life. We also have not determined the causations of the loss of the sense of smell (anosmia) and taste (ageusia). Many people who experience dysfunction of their senses also often experience anxiety, and dysfunction in their senses often accompanies sensing the odors/tastes that do not exist (phantosmia/phantogeusia) or sensed distorted (parosmia/parageusia). In this Special Issue “Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration”, we invite original research articles, research communications, and comprehensive reviews on olfaction, gustation, and flavor in relation to health and disease. We also invite contributions on the molecular mechanisms of the distortion of these senses and the impact on health. This Special Issue aims at providing insights into a range of issues related to our chemical senses and will capture the exciting developments in the field.

Dr. Sachiko Koyama
Prof. Thomas Heinbockel
Prof. Kenji Kondo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

odorants/aromas/pheromones
olfactory system
sense of taste
flavor
anosmia/hyposmia/parosmia ageusia/hypogeusia/parageusia
regeneration
COVID-19
post-viral dysfunction
neurological disorders and chemical senses

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 6538 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tackling the Biological Meaning of the Human Olfactory Bulb Dyshomeostatic Proteome across Neurological Disorders: An Integrative Bioinformatic Approach

by Paz Cartas-Cejudo, Mercedes Lachén-Montes, Joaquín Fernández-Irigoyen and Enrique Santamaría

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 11340; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222111340 - 20 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

Olfactory dysfunction is considered an early prodromal marker of many neurodegenerative diseases. Neuropathological changes and aberrant protein aggregates occur in the olfactory bulb (OB), triggering a tangled cascade of molecular events that is not completely understood across neurological disorders. This study aims to analyze commonalities and differences in the olfactory protein homeostasis across neurological backgrounds with different spectrums of smell dysfunction. For that, an integrative analysis was performed using OB proteomics datasets derived from subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), mixed dementia (mixD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP43), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with respect to OB proteome data from neurologically intact controls. A total of 80% of the differential expressed protein products were potentially disease-specific whereas the remaining 20% were commonly altered across two, three or four neurological phenotypes. A multi-level bioinformatic characterization revealed a subset of potential disease-specific transcription factors responsible for the downstream effects detected at the proteome level as well as specific densely connected protein complexes targeted by several neurological phenotypes. Interestingly, common or unique pathways and biofunctions were also identified, providing novel mechanistic clues about each neurological disease at olfactory level. The analysis of olfactory epithelium, olfactory tract and primary olfactory cortical proteotypes in a multi-disease format will functionally complement the OB dyshomeostasis, increasing our knowledge about the neurodegenerative process across the olfactory axis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration)

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19 pages, 35203 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Limbic Expression of mRNA Coding for Chemoreceptors in Human Brain—Lessons from Brain Atlases

by Fanny Gaudel, Gaëlle Guiraudie-Capraz and François Féron

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(13), 6858; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22136858 - 25 Jun 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2345

Abstract

Animals strongly rely on chemical senses to uncover the outside world and adjust their behaviour. Chemical signals are perceived by facial sensitive chemosensors that can be clustered into three families, namely the gustatory (TASR), olfactory (OR, TAAR) and pheromonal (VNR, FPR) receptors. Over recent decades, chemoreceptors were identified in non-facial parts of the body, including the brain. In order to map chemoreceptors within the encephalon, we performed a study based on four brain atlases. The transcript expression of selected members of the three chemoreceptor families and their canonical partners was analysed in major areas of healthy and demented human brains. Genes encoding all studied chemoreceptors are transcribed in the central nervous system, particularly in the limbic system. RNA of their canonical transduction partners (G proteins, ion channels) are also observed in all studied brain areas, reinforcing the suggestion that cerebral chemoreceptors are functional. In addition, we noticed that: (i) bitterness-associated receptors display an enriched expression, (ii) the brain is equipped to sense trace amines and pheromonal cues and (iii) chemoreceptor RNA expression varies with age, but not dementia or brain trauma. Extensive studies are now required to further understand how the brain makes sense of endogenous chemicals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration)

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Review

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14 pages, 7861 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chemosensory Ability and Sensitivity in Health and Disease: Epigenetic Regulation and COVID-19

by Naina Bhatia-Dey, Antonei B. Csoka and Thomas Heinbockel

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 4179; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24044179 - 20 Feb 2023

Viewed by 2305

Abstract

Throughout the animal kingdom, our two chemical senses, olfaction and gustation, are defined by two primary factors: genomic architecture of the organisms and their living environment. During the past three years of the global COVID-19 pandemic, these two sensory modalities have drawn much attention at the basic science and clinical levels because of the strong association of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction with viral infection. Loss of our sense of smell alone, or together with a loss of taste, has emerged as a reliable indicator of COVID-19 infection. Previously, similar dysfunctions have been detected in a large cohort of patients with chronic conditions. The research focus remains on understanding the persistence of olfactory and gustatory disturbances in the post-infection phase, especially in cases with long-term effect of infection (long COVID). Also, both sensory modalities show consistent age-related decline in studies aimed to understand the pathology of neurodegenerative conditions. Some studies using classical model organisms show an impact on neural structure and behavior in offspring as an outcome of parental olfactory experience. The methylation status of specific odorant receptors, activated in parents, is passed on to the offspring. Furthermore, experimental evidence indicates an inverse correlation of gustatory and olfactory abilities with obesity. Such diverse lines of evidence emerging from basic and clinical research studies indicate a complex interplay of genetic factors, evolutionary forces, and epigenetic alterations. Environmental factors that regulate gustation and olfaction could induce epigenetic modulation. However, in turn, such modulation leads to variable effects depending on genetic makeup and physiological status. Therefore, a layered regulatory hierarchy remains active and is passed on to multiple generations. In the present review, we attempt to understand the experimental evidence that indicates variable regulatory mechanisms through multilayered and cross-reacting pathways. Our analytical approach will add to enhancement of prevailing therapeutic interventions and bring to the forefront the significance of chemosensory modalities for the evaluation and maintenance of long-term health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration)

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73 pages, 3921 KiB

Open AccessReview

Possible Use of Phytochemicals for Recovery from COVID-19-Induced Anosmia and Ageusia

by Sachiko Koyama, Kenji Kondo, Rumi Ueha, Hideki Kashiwadani and Thomas Heinbockel

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(16), 8912; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms22168912 - 18 Aug 2021

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 11613

Abstract

The year 2020 became the year of the outbreak of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which escalated into a worldwide pandemic and continued into 2021. One of the unique symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 disease, COVID-19, is the loss of chemical senses, i.e., smell and taste. Smell training is one of the methods used in facilitating recovery of the olfactory sense, and it uses essential oils of lemon, rose, clove, and eucalyptus. These essential oils were not selected based on their chemical constituents. Although scientific studies have shown that they improve recovery, there may be better combinations for facilitating recovery. Many phytochemicals have bioactive properties with anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects. In this review, we describe the chemical compounds with anti- inflammatory and anti-viral effects, and we list the plants that contain these chemical compounds. We expand the review from terpenes to the less volatile flavonoids in order to propose a combination of essential oils and diets that can be used to develop a new taste training method, as there has been no taste training so far. Finally, we discuss the possible use of these in clinical settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Olfactory and Gustatory Sense and Their Regeneration)

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