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Updated: May 10, 2026

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Whole Mount Labeling of Cilia in the Main Olfactory System of Mice
Published on: December 27, 2014
Development- and activity-dependent expression of clusterin in the mouse olfactory bulb
Rui-Qi Wu1, Zhi-Xiang Xu, Xiao-Ping Rao
1The State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Summary
Clusterin protein expression in the mouse olfactory bulb changes dynamically during development and with sensory activity, offering insights into its functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Clusterin is a broadly expressed protein in the central nervous system with largely unknown functions.
- Understanding clusterin's role requires investigating its expression patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the spatiotemporal expression of clusterin in the mouse olfactory bulb.
- To investigate how neuronal activity affects clusterin expression during development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of clusterin expression in mouse olfactory bulbs at various developmental stages.
- Assessment of clusterin levels in an anosmic mouse model to evaluate the impact of olfactory deficits.
Main Results:
- Clusterin expression exhibited dynamic changes during development, shifting from diffuse signals to cell somas and finally to projection neuron axons.
- Olfactory deficits led to neuron-specific alterations in clusterin levels, with significant increases in olfactory sensory neurons and decreases in certain projection neurons.
- A transition in clusterin localization occurred around postnatal day 18.
Conclusions:
- Clusterin expression is dynamically modulated during mouse olfactory bulb development.
- Sensory activity significantly influences clusterin expression in a neuron-specific manner.
- These findings contribute to a better understanding of clusterin's function in the central nervous system.

