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Axon Guidance Events in the Wiring of the Mammalian Olfactory System

Molecular Neurobiology volume 39, pages 1–9 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The detection of odorant signals from the environment and the generation of appropriate behavioral outputs in response to these signals rely on the olfactory system. Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) of the olfactory epithelium are located in the nasal cavity and project axons that synapse onto dendrites of second-order neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB) that in turn relay the information gathered to higher order regions of the brain. The connections formed are remarkably accurate such that axons of OSNs expressing the same olfactory receptor innervate specific glomeruli within the complex three-dimensional structure that represents the OB. The molecular determinants that control this complex process are beginning to be identified. In this review, we discuss the role of various families of axon guidance cues and of recently characterized families of adhesion molecules in the formation of stereotypic connections in the olfactory system of mice.

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Affiliations

  1. Montreal Neurological Institute, Centre for Neuronal Survival, 3801 University, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3A 2B4

    Jin Hyung Cho, Janet E. A. Prince & Jean-François Cloutier

  2. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    Jin Hyung Cho, Janet E. A. Prince & Jean-François Cloutier

Authors
  1. Jin Hyung Cho
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  2. Janet E. A. Prince
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  3. Jean-François Cloutier
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Correspondence to Jean-François Cloutier.

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Cho and Prince contributed equally.

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Cho, J.H., Prince, J.E.A. & Cloutier, JF. Axon Guidance Events in the Wiring of the Mammalian Olfactory System. Mol Neurobiol 39, 1–9 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-008-8047-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-008-8047-7

Keywords

  • Olfactory system
  • Olfactory receptor
  • Axon guidance
  • Cell adhesion molecules.