Deep sequencing of the murine olfactory receptor neuron transcriptome

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genomics
• Olfactory receptor research

Background:

• The olfactory epithelium (OE) uses numerous olfactory receptors (ORs) and accessory proteins to detect thousands of odorants.
• Despite extensive research on ORs, olfactory processing mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively assess the murine OE transcriptome using next-generation sequencing (NGS).
• To identify OE-specific genes and novel proteins involved in olfactory functions.

Main Methods:

• RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of adult female and male mouse OEs.
• Analysis of RNA from fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-sorted olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs).
• Comparison of OE expression profiles with transcriptome data from other murine tissues.

Main Results:

• Detected expression of nearly all OR and trace amine-associated receptor (TAAR) genes involved in volatile amine perception.
• Identified olfactory signaling genes among the top 200 most highly expressed genes in the OE.
• Discovered non-olfactory G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and novel membrane proteins in ORNs, establishing a GPCR expression ranking.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a comprehensive gene catalogue for the OE.
• The data serves as a valuable resource for identifying candidate genes in olfactory signaling, OR trafficking, and cell proliferation.
• Identified novel membrane proteins suggest new roles in the olfactory system.