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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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OR2W3
olfactory receptor family 2 subfamily W member 3
Chromosome 1 · 1q44
NCBI Gene: 343171Ensembl: ENSG00000238243.3HGNC: HGNC:15021UniProt: Q7Z3T1
14PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Receptor
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of smellolfactory receptor activityplasma membraneG protein-coupled receptor activitymyxosarcomaosteosarcomabreast cancermale infertility
✦AI Summary

OR2W3 is an olfactory receptor gene located on chromosome 1 that functions as an odorant receptor involved in detection of chemical stimuli and sensory perception of smell 1. Beyond its canonical olfactory role, OR2W3 demonstrates ectopic expression in multiple non-olfactory tissues with functional significance. In the thyroid gland, OR2W3 activation by specific ligands triggers intracellular calcium and cAMP signaling cascades, affecting cellular migration, proliferation, and invasion 2. Notably, linoleic acid activates OR2W3 to mediate anti-asthmatic effects through ectopic olfactory signaling in airway smooth muscle tissue 1. In breast cancer, OR2W3 expression correlates with invasion genes and basal-like tumor subtypes, suggesting a potential role in cancer progression 3. OR2W3 variants have been identified in association with male infertility; specifically, the rs11204546 genotype correlates with FSH levels in non-obstructive azoospermia patients 4. Additionally, OR2W3 variants were identified through whole exome sequencing as associated with glaucoma medication non-adherence 5. However, OR2W3 sequence variants are unlikely to cause inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, as polymorphic variants occur at frequencies incompatible with disease causation 6. These findings establish OR2W3 as a multifunctional olfactory receptor with emerging clinical relevance in various disease contexts.

Sources cited
1
OR2W3 is an odorant receptor; linoleic acid from Bupleurum chinense essential oil activates OR2W3 to mediate anti-asthmatic effects through ectopic olfactory signaling
PMID: 39025162
2
OR2W3 is expressed in thyroid tissue; activation by specific ligands increases intracellular calcium and cAMP, affecting migration, proliferation, and invasion
PMID: 34385931
3
OR2W3 expression is correlated with invasion genes and basal-like breast cancer subtype, suggesting a role in cancer progression
PMID: 31551495
4
OR2W3 variant rs11204546 genotype correlates with FSH level in non-obstructive azoospermia patients
PMID: 25374392
5
OR2W3 missense mutations were significantly associated with glaucoma medication non-adherence by whole exome sequencing
PMID: 36982708
6
OR2W3 sequence variants are unlikely to cause inherited retinal diseases like retinitis pigmentosa due to high population frequency of variants
PMID: 26891008
Disease Associationsⓘ20
myxosarcomaOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
osteosarcomaOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
male infertilityOpen Targets
0.01Suggestive
systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritisOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Crohn's diseaseOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
asthmaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Invasive Breast CarcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
chronic kidney diseaseOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
glaucomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
follicular thyroid carcinomaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
aortic aneurysmOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
preeclampsiaOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
retinitis pigmentosa 1Open Targets
0.00Suggestive
thyroid cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
septic shockOpen Targets
0.00Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
LOC124905359Shared pathway100%OR4M2BShared pathway100%LOC112268384Shared pathway100%OR4N4CShared pathway100%OR9G9Shared pathway100%OR2A2Shared pathway100%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Lung
3%
Brain
2%
Liver
0%
Heart
0%
Ovary
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
OR2W3LOC124905359OR4M2BLOC112268384OR4N4COR9G9OR2A2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q7Z3T1
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.86LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.33Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.00 [0.00–1.86]
RankingsWhere OR2W3 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #15,945of 20,598
    Most Researched14
  • #16,904of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.86
Genes detectedOR2W3
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Nerol enhances lipid synthesis in human sebocytes via cannabinoid receptor-2-mediated MAPK signaling.
PMID: 40436484
J Pharmacol Sci · 2025
1.00
2
Mechanism analysis of essential oil from Radix Bupleuri for the treatment of asthma through regulation of ectopic olfactory receptor.
PMID: 39025162
J Ethnopharmacol · 2024
0.90
3
Olfactory receptor gene abundance in invasive breast carcinoma.
PMID: 31551495
Sci Rep · 2019
0.80
4
Heritable Risk and Protective Genetic Components of Glaucoma Medication Non-Adherence.
PMID: 36982708
Int J Mol Sci · 2023
0.70
5
OR2W3 sequence variants are unlikely to cause inherited retinal diseases.
PMID: 26891008
Ophthalmic Genet · 2016
0.60