title: Expression and distribution of the intermediate filament protein nestin and other stem cell related molecules in the human olfactory epithelium.
abstract: The olfactory epithelium (OE) is unique in regenerating throughout life and thus is an attractive target for examining neurogenesis. The nestin protein was shown to be expressed in the OE of rodents and is suggested to be essentially involved in the process of regeneration. Here we report the expression and distribution of nestin in the human OE at RNA and protein level. Moreover, we analysed the expression profiles in dependence on age and olfactory capacity. After sinus surgery, biopsies were taken from the olfactory epithelium of 16 patients aged 20-80 years with documented differences in their olfactory function. Our studies revealed that nestin is constantly detectable in the apical protuberances of sustentacular cells within the human OE of healthy adults. Its expression is not dependent on age, but rather appears to be related to the olfactory function, as a comparison with specimens obtained from patients suffering either from persistent anosmia or hyposmia suggests. Particularly, in the course of dystrophy, often accompanied with impaired olfaction, nestin expression was occasionally decreased. Contrarily, the expression of the p75-NGFR protein, a marker for human OE basal cells, was not altered, indicating that at least in the tested samples olfactory impairment is not connected with abnormalities at the basal cell level. These observations emphasize an essential role of nestin for the process of regeneration, and also highlight this factor as a candidate marker for sustentacular cells in the human olfactory epithelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head- and Neck Surgery, Ruhr-University Bochum, St. Elisabeth Hospital, Bochum, Germany. amir.minovi@rub.de
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minovi
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prescher
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gudziol
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dazert
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatt
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Benecke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D064231:Nestin; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051842:Olfactory Marker Protein / Q000032:analysis; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis; D012038:Regeneration; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012903:Smell; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D014404:Tubulin / Q000032:analysis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; C484065:NGFR protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; C497597:OMP protein, human; D051842:Olfactory Marker Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D014404:Tubulin