Expression and localization of the calmodulin-binding protein neurogranin in the adult mouse olfactory bulb

Neurogranin (Ng) is a brain-specific postsynaptic protein involved in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity through modulation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent signal transduction in neurons. In this study, using biochemical and immunohistochemical approaches, we demonstrate Ng expression in the adult mouse olfactory bulb (OB), the first relay station in odor information processing. We show that Ng is principally associated with the granule cell layer (GCL), which is composed of granule cell inhibitory interneurons. This cell type is continuously renewed during adult life and plays a key role in OB circuits, integrating and modulating the activity of mitral/tufted cells. Our results indicate that Ng localizes in the soma and dendrites of a defined subpopulation of mature GABAergic granule cells, enriched in the deep portion of the GCL. Ng-immunopositive cells largely coexpress the Ca(+)/CaM-dependent kinase IV (CaMKIV), a downstream protein of CaM signaling cascade, whereas no colocalization was observed between Ng and the calcium-binding protein calretinin. Finally, we demonstrate that adult neurogenesis contributes to the Ng-expressing population, with more newly generated Ng-positive cells integrated in the deep GCL. Together, these results provide a new specific neurochemical marker to identify a subpopulation of olfactory granule cells and suggest possible functional implications for Ng in OB plasticity mechanisms.