Abstract
In a comparative study, molecular probes for various odorant receptor subtypes were employed in in situ hybridization experiments on tissue sections through the nose from different mammalian species. OR37 reactive neurons were found exclusively in the rodent species, where they were clustered in very similar position within the nasal cavities; an OR37-related receptor subtype was not detectable in the rabbit. All other subtypes tested, hybridized across species borders to neurons that were distributed within distinct zones of the olfactory epithelium. Most receptor types were found in the same zone in all species; however, a few subtypes which are expressed in the medial zone in rat were found in the dorsal zone in guinea pig.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Angerer LM, Angerer RC (1992) In situ hybridization to cellular RNA with radiolabelled RNA probes. In: Wilkinson DG (ed) In situ hybridization. IRL, Oxford, pp 15–32
Chess A, Simon T, Cedar H, Axel R (1994) Allelic inactivation regulates olfactory receptor gene expression. Cell 78: 823–834
Corbet GB, Hill JE (1987) World List of mammalian species. British Museum Natural History, London
Kandel ER, Schwartz JH (1985) Principles of neural sciences. Elsevier, New York
Kauer JS, Neff SR, Hamilton KA, Cinelli AR (1991) The salamander olfactory pathway: visualizing and modeling circuit activity. In: Davis JL, Eichenbaum H (eds) Olfaction: a model system for computational neuroscience. MIT, Cambridge (Mass) London, pp 43–68
Kent PF, Mozell MM (1992) The recording of odorant-induced mucosal activity patterns with a voltage-sensitive dye. J Neurophysiol 68: 1804–1819
Lancet D, Ben-Arie N (1993) Olfactory receptors. Curr Biol 3: 668–674
Liebich H-G (1975) Zum Bau der oberen Luftwege der weißen Ratte (Musrattus norvegicus, var. albinos). Anat Anz 138: 170–179
Mackay-Sim A, Kesteven S (1994) Topographic patterns of responsiveness to odorants in the rat olfactory epithelium. J Neurophysiol 71: 150–160
Ressler KJ, Sullivan SL, Buck LB (1993) A zonal organization of odorant receptor gene expression in the olfactory epithelium. Cell 73: 597–609
Shepherd GM (1991) Computational structure of the olfactory system. In: Davis JL, Eichenbaum H (eds) Olfaction: a model for computational neuroscience. MIT Press, Cambridge (Mass) London, pp 3–41
Strotmann J, Wanner I, Krieger J, Raming K, Breer H (1992) Expression of odorant receptors in spatially restricted subsets of chemosensory neurones. Neuroreport 3: 1053–1056
Strotmann J, Wanner I, Helfrich T, Beck A, Meinken C, Kubick S, Breer H (1994a) Olfactory neurones expressing distinct odorant receptor subtypes are spatially segregated in the nasal neuroepithelium. Cell Tissue Res 276: 429–438
Strotmann J, Wanner I, Helfrich T, Beck A, Breer H (1994b) Rostrocaudal patterning of receptor-expressing olfactory neurones in the rat nasal cavity. Cell Tissue Res 278: 11–20
Vassar R, Ngai J, Axel R (1993) Spatial segregation of odorant receptor expression in the mammalian olfactory epithelium. Cell 74: 309–318
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Strotmann, J., Beck, A., Kubick, S. et al. Topographic patterns of odorant receptor expression in mammals: a comparative study. J Comp Physiol A 177, 659–666 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00187625
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00187625