Mammalian nervous system function involves billions of neurons which are interconnected in a multitude of neural circuits. Here we describe a genetic approach to chart neural circuits. By using an olfactory-specific promoter, we selectively expressed barley lectin in sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium and vomeronasal organ of transgenic mice. The lectin was transported through the axon...

We used immunodeficient mice, whose dorsomedial olfactory region was permanently damaged by dichlobenil inoculation, to test the neuroregenerative properties of transplanted human adipose tissue-derived stem cells after 30 and 60 days. Analysis of polymerase chain reaction bands revealed that stem cells preferentially engrafted in the lesioned olfactory epithelium compared with undamaged mucosa...

In mammals, cilia are critical for development, sensation, cell signaling, sperm motility, and fluid movement. Defects in cilia are causes of several congenital syndromes, providing additional reasons to identify cilia-related genes. We hypothesized that mRNAs selectively abundant in tissues rich in highly ciliated cells encode cilia proteins. Selective abundance in olfactory epithelium, testes...

We analyzed the expression of G protein α subunits and the axonal projection into the brain in the olfactory system of the semiaquatic newt Cynops pyrrhogaster by immunostaining with antibodies against Gαolf and Gαo , by in situ hybridization using probes for Gαolf , Gαo , and Gαi2 , and by neuronal tracing with DiI and DiA. The main olfactory epithelium (OE) consists of two parts, the ventral ...

The subject of my lecture is the sense of smell, one of the five senses through which we perceive the world. Through the sense of smell, humans and other mammals can perceive a vast number and variety of chemicals in the external world. It is estimated that humans can sense as many as 10,000 to 100,000 chemicals as having a distinct odor. All of these “odorants” are small, volatile molecules. H...

The electronic nose is the olfactory organ of robot, which composed a large number sensors to perceive smell objects through free diffusion. Traditionally, it difficult realize active perception function, and meet requirements small size, low cost, quick response that robots require. In order address these issues, novel with was designed an ensemble learning method proposed distinguish differen...

N-myc belongs to the myc proto-oncogene family, which is involved in numerous cellular processes such as proliferation, growth, apoptosis, and differentiation. Conditional deletion of N-myc in the mouse nervous system disrupted brain development, indicating that N-myc plays an essential role during neural development. How the development of the olfactory epithelium and neurogenesis within are a...

Functional characterization of the Ca-activated Cl channel Ano2 in the olfactory system. Ca-activated Cl currents have been described in a plethora of physiological processes including sensory transduction. In olfaction, Ca-activated Cl channels (CaCCs) are thought to play a crucial role as amplifiers of the olfactory signal. Binding of odorants to olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) generates a p...

We analyzed the distribution of OTX2 during mouse development. OTX2 is a homeoprotein encoded by Otx2, a vertebrate homeobox gene expressed in the developing brain and anterior head regions. The protein is already detectable in pre-streak embryos, in nuclei of embryonic ectoderm or epiblast and primitive endoderm or hypoblast. Its distribution is uniform along the entire epiblast, while showing...