Skin cell nose Do we also smell with the skin?

Science: Can our skin perceive odors
Not only our nose, but also the skin can obviously smell. Scientists at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) have discovered an olfactory receptor in the pigment-forming cells of human skin. According to the researchers, this could open up new approaches for the treatment of skin cancer.

The research team headed by Professor Dr. Dr. habil. Hanns Hatt of the RUB has for the first time demonstrated an olfactory receptor (olfactory receptor) in the pigment-forming cells of human skin (melanocytes). This is activated by the violet-like fragrance beta-ionone, the scientists report. Our skin can therefore perceive the smell. In addition, the stimulation of the receptor influences the activity of the melanocytes, which, according to the researchers' hope, can also be used for therapeutic purposes. The RUB scientists jointly published their findings in the journal "Journal of Biological Chemistry" to colleagues from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and the University Hospital Jena.

Researchers have discovered olfactory receptors (olfactory receptors) in skin cells. (Image: fpic / fotolia.com)

Olfactory receptor detected in melanocytes
In the analysis of cell cultures, the scientists were able to identify "the olfactory receptor 51E2 in cell cultures of melanocytes from human skin," according to the RUB. These cells are responsible for the formation of melanin in the skin, which gives the latter its color and has a significant influence on the sensitivity to sunlight. Excessive growth of melanocytes, according to the RUB, "may cause excessive pigmentation and may also trigger black skin cancer."

Smelling receptor affects melanin formation
The research team led by Prof. Hatt has also succeeded in decrypting the signaling pathways that are activated by the receptor 51E2 in cells in detail. The fragrance beta-ionone, the receptor is active, causing a similar reaction cascade, as occurs in the olfactory cells of the nose, the scientists report. As a result, the concentration of calcium ions in the cell is increased. This activates signaling pathways, at the end of which phosphate groups are transferred to certain enzymes, such as the MAP kinases. With the newly discovered receptor, this mechanism regulates the activity of the enzymes and thus the cell growth and melanin formation.

New therapeutic options
According to the study leader Professor Hatt, the receptor and its activating scent could also be "a new starting point for the treatment of melanoma." Because in the transformation of healthy melanocytes to tumor cells, "they multiply more, but specialize worse on their actual tasks" , explains the expert. Exactly these properties seem to affect the fragrance beta-ionone with its associated receptor. Investigations on melanoma cells taken from patients' biopsies will now be followed by a more detailed study of the effects of the olfactory receptor and its activating fragrance. According to the researchers, another application option for the newly discovered receptor would be, for example, the treatment of pigmentation disorders of the skin - "but it would also be conceivable to use it in tanning products," says Prof. Hatt. (Fp)