Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

The process of olfaction, also known as the sense of smell, is a sophisticated chemical response system. The specialized sensory neurons that facilitate this process, known as olfactory receptor neurons, are situated in an upper segment of the nasal cavity, known as the olfactory epithelium. Olfactory sensory neurons are bipolar, with their dendrites extending from the epithelium's apex into the mucus that lines the nasal cavity. Airborne molecules, when inhaled, traverse the olfactory...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Developmental profile and sexually dimorphic expression of kiss1 and kiss1r in the fetal mouse brain.

Frontiers in endocrinology·2013

Same author

N-linked polylactosamine glycan synthesis is regulated by co-expression of β3GnT2 and GCNT2.

Journal of cellular physiology·2013

Same author

Olfactory discrimination largely persists in mice with defects in odorant receptor expression and axon guidance.

Neural development·2012

Same author

Regulation and function of axon guidance and adhesion molecules during olfactory map formation.

Journal of cellular biochemistry·2011

Same author

β3GnT2 maintains adenylyl cyclase-3 signaling and axon guidance molecule expression in the olfactory epithelium.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2011

Same author

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal population is normal in size and distribution in GnRH-deficient and GnRH receptor-mutant hypogonadal mice.

Endocrinology·2008

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Whole Mount Labeling of Cilia in the Main Olfactory System of Mice

Whole Mount Labeling of Cilia in the Main Olfactory System of Mice

Published on: December 27, 2014

β3GnT2 null mice exhibit defective accessory olfactory bulb innervation.

Timothy R Henion¹, Pasil A Madany, Ashley A Faden

¹Department of Cell Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA. timothy.henion@umassmed.edu

Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences

|September 26, 2012

Summary

The glycosyltransferase β3GnT2 is crucial for vomeronasal sensory neuron (VSN) axon guidance and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) organization. Its absence disrupts axon targeting and glomerular formation, impacting pheromone signal processing.

More Related Videos

Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury

Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury

Published on: February 23, 2015

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Published on: June 5, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Whole Mount Labeling of Cilia in the Main Olfactory System of Mice

Whole Mount Labeling of Cilia in the Main Olfactory System of Mice

Published on: December 27, 2014

Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury

Facial Nerve Axotomy in Mice: A Model to Study Motoneuron Response to Injury

Published on: February 23, 2015

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Quadruple Immunostaining of the Olfactory Bulb for Visualization of Olfactory Sensory Axon Molecular Identity Codes

Published on: June 5, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Molecular Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) project to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), segregating into anterior (aAOB) and posterior (pAOB) compartments to relay pheromone signals.
The glycosyltransferase β3GnT2 in the olfactory epithelium (OE) is known to regulate axon guidance cues for proper neuronal organization.
Mechanisms governing mammalian vomeronasal targeting and AOB organization are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of β3GnT2 in vomeronasal system axon guidance and AOB organization.
To determine how β3GnT2 influences the expression of guidance and adhesion molecules in the vomeronasal system.
To elucidate the impact of β3GnT2 deficiency on VSN projection patterns and glomerular formation in the AOB.

Main Methods:

Analysis of β3GnT2 knockout mice (β3GnT2(-/-)) and wildtype littermates.
Immunohistochemical staining to examine the expression patterns of ephrinA5, V2r1b, Kirrel2, and OCAM.
Microscopic analysis of AOB structure, including glomerular morphology and compartmentalization.

Main Results:

β3GnT2 deficiency alters ephrinA5 expression, leading to its upregulation on aAOB axons.
Despite altered ephrinA5, apical and basal VSN projections remain segregated, but V2r1b axons inappropriately innervate the aAOB due to ectopic receptor expression.
Loss of Kirrel2 and OCAM in β3GnT2(-/-) aAOB results in increased V2r1b glomeruli and failed formation of distinct anterior glomeruli.

Conclusions:

β3GnT2 plays a distinct role in the vomeronasal system, regulating guidance and adhesion molecules essential for AOB organization.
β3GnT2 glycosylation is vital for maintaining expression of layer-specific vomeronasal receptors and adhesion molecules.
Proper AOB glomerular formation and vomeronasal sensory processing depend on β3GnT2-mediated regulation of molecular expression.