Chemosensation allows mammals to identify food, social cues, and environmental threats, yet the molecular basis by which olfactory receptors recognize specific odor molecules-including how they selectively respond to particular chemical groups-is still not fully understood. Odorant receptors are G protein-coupled receptors responsible for detecting thousands of distinct odor molecules. The aim of this study is to identify odorant receptors that respond to specific odorants and characterize shared sequence features that may be important for odor- driven activation. Activated receptors are identified and analyzed to determine sequence features that may contribute to their activation. The receptors are cloned into a mammalian expression plasmid with modified C-terminus in order to promote cell surface expression and allow for activation in mammalian cells. Receptor activity is quantified using the GloSensor™ cAMP Assay, which enables real-time measurement of GPCR signaling via cAMP levels in living cells. This work supports the validation of sequencing-based data, may help clarify how specific structural elements in receptors drive odor recognition, and could inform future studies of sensory signaling and ligand-receptor specificity. Natural Variation in Melanization among Environmental Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans

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