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Chemically and morphologically identifiable glomeruli in the rat olfactory bulb.
1Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Department of Anatomical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia. james.stjohn@mailbox.uq.edu.au
The Journal of Comparative Neurology
|July 12, 2001
Summary
Cell surface carbohydrates, like novel carbohydrate-3 (NOC-3), guide olfactory neuron axons. Axons expressing NOC-3 consistently target specific, fixed glomeruli in the olfactory bulb, aiding navigation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Primary olfactory neurons project axons to specific glomeruli in the olfactory bulb.
- Cell surface carbohydrates were previously hypothesized to mediate axon sorting and fasciculation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of a novel carbohydrate (NOC-3) in axon guidance within the rat olfactory system.
- To determine if axons expressing the same cell surface carbohydrates target the same glomeruli.
Main Methods:
- Examined NOC-3 expression on neural cell adhesion molecules in adult rat olfactory systems.
- Traced the projection patterns of NOC-3-expressing axons in the olfactory bulb.
Main Results:
- NOC-3 was expressed by a subset of olfactory neurons.
- Axons expressing NOC-3 sorted and fasciculated into discrete bundles.
- These axons terminated in three unusually large, topographically fixed glomeruli in the olfactory bulb.
Conclusions:
- Axons expressing the same cell surface carbohydrates consistently target specific glomeruli.
- This supports a role for cell surface carbohydrates in mediating axon navigation in the olfactory pathway.