Subject(s)
Models, Biological , Odorants , Receptors, Odorant/metabolism , Smell/physiology , Animals , HumansABSTRACT
Whether olfaction recognizes odorants by their shape, their molecular vibrations, or both remains an open and controversial question. A convenient way to address it is to test for odor character differences between deuterated and undeuterated odorant isotopomers, since these have identical ground-state conformations but different vibrational modes. In a previous paper (Franco et al. (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:9, 3797-802) we showed that fruit flies can recognize the presence of deuterium in odorants by a vibrational mechanism. Here we address the question of whether humans too can distinguish deuterated and undeuterated odorants. A previous report (Keller and Vosshall (2004) Nat Neurosci 7:4, 337-8) indicated that naive subjects are incapable of distinguishing acetophenone and d-8 acetophenone. Here we confirm and extend those results to trained subjects and gas-chromatography [GC]-pure odorants. However, we also show that subjects easily distinguish deuterated and undeuterated musk odorants purified to GC-pure standard. These results are consistent with a vibrational component in human olfaction.
Subject(s)
Olfactory Perception/physiology , Smell/physiology , Vibration , Acetophenones , Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated , Humans , OdorantsABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055780.].
ABSTRACT
The synthesis of the C5' tert-butyl ketone of thymidine 1a and 2'-deoxyguanosine 2 is achieved by reaction of 5'-C-cyano derivatives with tert-butyl lithium followed by acid hydrolysis. The 5'R configuration is assigned by X-ray crystal structure determination of an opportunely protected derivative of 1a. The (5'S)-isomers of both nucleosides are not stable, and a complete decomposition occurs in the reaction medium. The photochemistry of 1a and 2 effectively produced the thymidin-5'-yl radical and the 2'-deoxyguanosin-5'-yl radical, respectively. In the thymidine system, the C5' radical is fully quenched in the presence of a physiological concentration of thiols. In the 2'-deoxyguanosine system, the C5' radical undergoes intramolecular attack onto the C8-N7 double bond of guanine leading ultimately to the 5',8-cyclo-2'-deoxyguanosine derivative. The cyclization of the 2'-deoxyguanosin-5'-yl radical occurs with a rate constant of ca. 1x10(6) s-1 and is highly stereoselective affording only the (5'S)-diastereomer.