title: Stereological quantification of olfactory receptor neurons in mice.
abstract: The total number of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the mouse main olfactory epithelium (MOE) was estimated using stereological sampling. Noses and skulls of male and female 8-week-old C57BL/6J mice were de-calcified, embedded in paraffin, cut into 10-μm-thick sections serially at 100-μm intervals, and processed for immunohistochemistry for the olfactory marker protein (OMP), a specific marker for ORNs. The number of OMP (+) receptor neurons was measured using an optical fractionator with the Stereo-Investigator software. The mean values of the total number of OMP (+) receptor neurons in the unilateral MOE were 5,140,000±380,000 in males and 5,210,000±380,000 in females, with no significant differences between the sexes. We concluded that the total number of ORNs in the unilateral MOE is approximately 5×10(6) in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan. Electronic address: kyutaro@shinshu-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawagishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokouchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sumitomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriizumi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D066194:Olfactory Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051842:Olfactory Marker Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D009831:Olfactory Mucosa / Q000166:cytology*; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D051842:Olfactory Marker Protein
keywords: main olfactory epithelium; mouse; olfactory receptor neurons; stereology; total neuron number