Richard Axel

Richard Axel is an American neuroscientist whose research on odorant receptors and the organization of olfactory pathways earned him the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Linda Buck.

Linda Buck: An American biologist who identified a large family of odorant receptor genes with Richard Axel. Buck shared the 2004 Nobel Prize with Axel for discovering odorant receptors and their organization.
Olfactory receptor: A protein in olfactory sensory neurons that binds odorant molecules and initiates signaling. Axel and Buck identified the large gene family encoding these receptors.
Odorant receptor gene family: A large group of genes encoding proteins that detect odorants in olfactory sensory neurons. Axel and Buck’s 1991 study identified this family, establishing the molecular basis of odor detection.
Olfactory map: A spatial organization of odor-related neural signals across olfactory structures. Axel’s findings showed how receptor identity can organize sensory inputs into patterns in the olfactory bulb.
Eric Kandel: A neuroscientist whose research on learning and memory earned the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Kandel recruited Axel to Columbia, where Axel built his neuroscience career.
Olfactory sensory neuron: A specialized nerve cell in the nasal epithelium that detects odorants and sends signals to the brain. Axel’s work showed that each such neuron generally expresses one receptor type.
Polymerase chain reaction: A laboratory method that amplifies selected DNA sequences through repeated cycles of copying. Axel and Buck used this technique to search for genes resembling known G protein-coupled receptors.
Combinatorial olfaction: The representation of odors through overlapping combinations of activated olfactory receptors and neurons. The receptor repertoire Axel helped uncover made combinatorial representation of many odors intelligible.
Columbia University: A private research university in New York City, founded in 1754. Axel conducted much of his landmark olfaction research at Columbia’s medical school.
Olfactory bulb: A forebrain structure that receives and processes signals from olfactory sensory neurons. Axel’s research helped reveal how neurons expressing the same receptor converge on particular bulb sites.

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Linda B. BuckRelated: Axel and Buck jointly identified the large family of odorant receptor genes.