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Updated: Jan 1, 2026
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The Olfactory System as a Model to Study Axonal Growth Patterns and Morphology In Vivo
Published on: October 30, 2014
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Axonal Odorant Receptors Mediate Axon Targeting
Ilaria Zamparo1, Simona Francia2, Sira Angela Franchi2
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Cell Reports
|December 26, 2019
Summary
Odorant receptors in mammals have a dual role. They detect odors and guide sensory axons to the correct targets in the olfactory bulb, ensuring accurate smell perception and neural mapping.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Olfactory System Research
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Odorant receptors (ORs) in mammals are crucial for detecting odors and forming the olfactory sensory map in the brain.
- While ORs are known to function at cilia for odor binding, their role and activation mechanism at the axon terminal remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the unknown function of odorant receptors at the axon terminal.
- To identify ligands that activate axon terminal ORs and influence sensory axon behavior.
Main Methods:
- Identification of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 (PEBP1) as a ligand for axon terminal ORs.
- Analysis of the effect of PEBP1 on sensory axon turning behavior.
- Assessment of the olfactory sensory map in mice lacking PEBP1.
Main Results:
- Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 (PEBP1) was identified as a molecule that activates odorant receptors at the axon terminal.
- PEBP1 influences the turning behavior of sensory axons.
- Genetic deletion of PEBP1 in mice led to a significantly disrupted olfactory sensory map.
Conclusions:
- Odorant receptors at the axon terminal function as axon guidance cues, responding to signals from the olfactory bulb.
- This dual role of ORs integrates odor perception specificity with precise axon targeting in the olfactory system.
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