Genetic disruptions of O/E2 and O/E3 genes reveal involvement in olfactory receptor neuron projection.
The mammalian Olf1/EBF (O/E) family of repeated helix-loop-helix (rHLH) transcription factors has been implicated in olfactory system gene regulation, nervous system development and B-cell differentiation. Ebf (O/E1) mutant animals showed defects in B-cell lineage and brain regions where it is the only O/E family member expressed, but the olfactory epithelium appeared unaffected and olfactory marker expression was grossly normal in these animals. In order to further study the mammalian O/E proteins, we disrupted O/E2 and O/E3 genes in mouse and placed tau-lacZ and tau-GFP reporter genes under the control of the respective endogenous O/E promoters. Mice mutant for each of these genes display reduced viability and other gene-specific phenotypes. Interestingly, both O/E2 and O/E3 knockout mice as well as O/E2/O/E3 double heterozygous animals share a common phenotype: olfactory neurons (ORN) fail to project to dorsal olfactory bulb. We suggest that a decreased dose of O/E protein may alter expression of O/E target genes and underlie the ORN projection defect.
Wang
Song S
SS
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, PCTB 818, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Lewcock
Joseph W
JW
Feinstein
Paul
P
Mombaerts
Peter
P
Reed
Randall R
RR
D000818:Animals; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D051379:Mice; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016875:tau Proteins