Or8j3 is an olfactory receptor gene. Olfactory receptor genes are crucial for animals' sense of smell, enabling them to recognize various odor molecules, which is significant for activities like food recognition, mate finding, and predator detection [1].

In a study on the diet adaptation of the giant panda, 10 genes of the giant panda were clustered into 8 clusters with 10 known human OR genes including Or8j3. However, the specific odor molecules recognized by these 10 human OR genes separately need further research [1].

In conclusion, Or8j3, as an olfactory receptor gene, is important for the sense of smell in organisms. Although the study on the giant panda didn't directly reveal the function of Or8j3 through gene-knockout models, the clustering analysis with panda genes indicates its potential role in the panda's olfactory-related diet adaptation, and further research on the odor recognition of Or8j3 could deepen our understanding of olfactory functions in both humans and animals.

References:

1. Zhou, Chuang, Liu, Yi, Zhao, Guangqing, Du, Chao, Zhang, Xiuyue. 2023. Comparative Analysis of Olfactory Receptor Repertoires Sheds Light on the Diet Adaptation of the Bamboo-Eating Giant Panda Based on the Chromosome-Level Genome. In Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 13, . doi:10.3390/ani13060979. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36978520/