The olfactory epithelium is a sensory neuroepithelium that supports adult neurogenesis and tissue regeneration following injury, making it an excellent model for investigating neural stem cell regulation in vivo. Previous studies have identified the horizontal basal cell (HBC) as the neural stem cell of the postnatal olfactory epithelium. However, the molecules and pathways regulating HBC self-...

A monoclonal antibody (Mab) has been developed which recognizes a family of cell surface glycoproteins found in high levels of rat olfactory receptor neurons. This Mab, designated 2B8, was produced by the fusion of X63-Ag8.653 myeloma cells and spleen cells of a mouse immunized with PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. Immunofluorescence analyses of cryostat sections of neonatal olfactory epitheliu...

Although odorants are known to activate olfactory receptor neurons through cAMP, the long-term effects of odorant detection are not known. Our recent findings indicate that there is also a delayed and sustained cAMP response, with kinetics sufficient to mediate long-term cellular responses. This cAMP response is mediated by cGMP through activation of adenylyl cyclase by protein kinase G (PKG). ...

Responses of the rat olfactory epithelium were assessed with the electroolfactogram while odorants were presented to the external nares with an artificial sniff or to the internal nares by positive pressure. A series of seven odorants that varied from very polar, hydrophilic odorants to very nonpolar, hydrophobic odorants were used. Although the polar odorants activated the dorsal olfactory epi...

It is unknown how neuronal connections are specified in the olfactory system. To define rules of connectivity in this system, we investigated whether the projection of sensory neurons from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb is topographically ordered. By backtracking with 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), we find that neurons projecting into a...

The neuronal olfactory epithelium undergoes permanent renewal because of environmental aggression. This renewal is partly regulated by factors modulating the level of neuronal apoptosis. Among them, we had previously characterized endothelin as neuroprotective. In this study, we explored the effect of cell survival factor deprivation in the olfactory epithelium by intranasal delivery of endothe...

The sensing of an odorant by an animal must be a rapid but transient process, requiring an instant response and also a speedy termination of the signal. Previous biochemical and electrophysiological studies suggest that one or more phosphodiesterases (PDEs) may play an essential role in the rapid termination of the odorant-induced cAMP signal. Here we report the molecular cloning, expression, a...

Vertebrate olfactory sensory neurons are replaced continuously throughout life. We studied the effect of age on proliferation in olfactory epithelium in postnatal rats ranging in age from birth (P1) until P333. Using BrdU to label dividing cells, we determined the proliferation density of basal cells, i.e., the number of labeled nuclei/unit length (240 microm) of olfactory epithelium in coronal...

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...