Spring

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the arterial wall driven by macrophages and other immune cells. Olfactory receptors (OLFRs) are G-protein coupled receptors expressed primarily in olfactory epithelium and are responsible for the sense of smell. OLFRs expressed in multiple extra-nasal tissues have been implicated in diverse biological processes. Here we show that mouse vascular macrophages express many olfactory receptors including Olfr2 (also known as I7), a receptor for octanal.