title: Cell cultures of neuroblasts from rat olfactory epithelium that show odorant responses.
abstract: We have developed procedures that permit isolation and propagation of clonal cell cultures from the olfactory epithelium of the 5- to 7-day-old rat that appear to represent the neuroblasts that repopulate the sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium throughout life. The cell lines we report here synthesize neuron-specific enolase, which is a neuron marker, 43-kDa growth-associated protein, a protein associated with neuronal growth cones, and carnosine, a possible olfactory neurotransmitter. In two of the cell lines we have found dose-dependent cAMP accumulation following exposure to submicromolar concentrations of chemical odorants in the medium. These two cell lines show different patterns of odorant specificity when tested against a panel of six chemicals commonly used as test odorants. We anticipate that these and similarly derived cell lines will prove valuable in studying aspects of neurogenesis and olfaction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Coon
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brandi
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Swerdlow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D015151:Immunoblotting; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009812:Odorants; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase