Development And Function Of Zonal Olfactory Receptor Expression

Mammals depend on their senses to interact with their surroundings; olfaction is one of those senses. Mice express approximately 1500 olfactory receptors (ORs), which allow them to be sensitive to an array of odorants. Each OR is expressed within one of four zones in the olfactory epithelium (OE). Though the function of the zones is poorly understood, they may provide a mechanism for the brain to compartmentalize and decode which odorant is detected. The signal for the development of these zones, and the ORs present in each is unclear, but it is believed these signals remain throughout the life of the animal due t the high turnover rate of the OE. We hypothesize that the non-OR genes in the OE drive the zonal expression of ORs by also appearing in a zonal patterns. Mouse OE sections were cut and zones were dissected by laser capture microscopy. Potentially zonal genes were identified and were used to design in situ probes. In situ hybridizations were preformed on the OE sections to determine if these genes are also expressed in zonal patterns. Understanding the development of the anatomical organization of the OE may not only help us understand the development and function of the olfaction complex, but also the relationships between neural receptors and brain interpretation.