dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaCould humans recognize odor by phonon assisted tunneling?
| Authors | Jennifer C. Brookes, Filio Hartoutsiou, A. P. Horsfield, A. M. Stoneham |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0611205 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0611205 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.038101 |
Abstract
Our sense of smell relies on sensitive, selective atomic-scale processes that are initiated when a scent molecule meets specific receptors in the nose. However, the physical mechanisms of detection are not clear. While odorant shape and size are important, experiment indicates these are insufficient. One novel proposal suggests inelastic electron tunneling from a donor to an acceptor mediated by the odorant actuates a receptor, and provides critical discrimination. We test the physical viability of this mechanism using a simple but general model. Using values of key parameters in line with those for other biomolecular systems, we find the proposed mechanism is consistent both with the underlying physics and with observed features of smell, provided the receptor has certain general properties. This mechanism suggests a distinct paradigm for selective molecular interactions at receptors (the swipe card model): recognition and actuation involve size and shape, but also exploit other processes.
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"abstract": "Our sense of smell relies on sensitive, selective atomic-scale processes that\nare initiated when a scent molecule meets specific receptors in the nose.\nHowever, the physical mechanisms of detection are not clear. While odorant\nshape and size are important, experiment indicates these are insufficient. One\nnovel proposal suggests inelastic electron tunneling from a donor to an\nacceptor mediated by the odorant actuates a receptor, and provides critical\ndiscrimination. We test the physical viability of this mechanism using a simple\nbut general model. Using values of key parameters in line with those for other\nbiomolecular systems, we find the proposed mechanism is consistent both with\nthe underlying physics and with observed features of smell, provided the\nreceptor has certain general properties. This mechanism suggests a distinct\nparadigm for selective molecular interactions at receptors (the swipe card\nmodel): recognition and actuation involve size and shape, but also exploit\nother processes.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0611205",
"authors": [
"Jennifer C. Brookes",
"Filio Hartoutsiou",
"A. P. Horsfield",
"A. M. Stoneham"
],
"categories": [
"physics.bio-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.038101",
"title": "Could humans recognize odor by phonon assisted tunneling?",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0611205"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
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