Gene switching and the stability of odorant receptor gene choice.
Individual olfactory sensory neurons express only a single odorant receptor from a large family of genes, and this singularity is an essential feature in models of olfactory perception. We have devised a genetic strategy to examine the stability of receptor choice. We observe that immature olfactory sensory neurons that express a given odorant receptor can switch receptor expression, albeit at low frequency. Neurons that express a mutant receptor gene switch receptor transcription with significantly greater probability, suggesting that the expression of a functional odorant receptor elicits a feedback signal that terminates switching. This process of receptor gene switching assures that a neuron will ultimately express a functional receptor and that the choice of this receptor will remain stable for the life of the cell.
Shykind
Benjamin M
BM
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Rohani
S Christy
SC
O'Donnell
Sean
S
Nemes
Adriana
A
Mendelsohn
Monica
M
Sun
Yonghua
Y
Axel
Richard
R
Barnea
Gilad
G
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D019426:Integrases / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics*; D012903:Smell / Q000235:genetics*; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D008164:Luminescent Proteins; C427664:Olfr1507 protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D014764:Viral Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases