Rostro-caudal patterning of receptor-expressing olfactory neurones in the rat nasal cavity.
The rostro-caudal extent of odorant receptor expression zones in the rat olfactory epithelium was analysed by means of in situ hybridization. Three broad non-overlapping zones were identified that extended along almost the entire anterior-posterior axis; each zone was composed of several separate bands running anterior to posterior throughout the olfactory epithelium. Super-imposed onto these broad zones was the expression area of a particular receptor subtype (OR37); it was restricted to a small region of the epithelial sheet with a high density of reactive neurones in the centre and declining numbers towards the periphery of the region. A quantitative evaluation of the reactive cells revealed that, despite their different distribution patterns, all receptor subtypes were expressed in an equal number of neurones.
University Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Institute of Zoophysiology, Germany.
J
J
Strotmann
I
I
Wanner
T
T
Helfrich
A
A
Beck
H
H
Breer
D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D005810:Multigene Family; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology*; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D015347:RNA Probes; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D015347:RNA Probes; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D011994:Recombinant Proteins