ABSTRACT
Specific anosmias are likely due to differences in the expression of specific olfactory receptor protein genes. Given the number of human olfactory receptor genes (~40) and their distribution across most human chromosomes (all except C 20 and Y), it would not be surprising to find differences in the responses of most individuals to a well designed chemical probe presented to subjects using gas chromatography olfactometry (GCO). If such a probe were combined with a reproducible and efficient GCO protocol, subjects could be “phenotyped” on the basis of their peripheral response to odorants. Such data would greatly assist an investigation of functional diversity in human olfaction and its impact on perception. In the future, when methods are developed that identify an individuals olfactory receptor gene composition, techniques that measure the phenotypic expression of these genes will be needed to identify their associated function. The data needed to assign function to specific olfactory genes could be provided by GCO.
