NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry reveals heterogeneity in the distribution of nitric oxide synthase-expressing interneurons between olfactory glomeruli in two mouse strains

The expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the olfactory bulb was compared between two mouse strains, CD-1 and BALB/c, that differ in the connectivity within their olfactory glomeruli, their content of tyrosine hydroxylase, and their response to olfactory deafferentation. Labelled cells were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed by both immunohistochemistry for NOS and histochemistry for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase (ND). Both periglomerular cells and short-axon cells were observed with both techniques employed, and their colocalization in the same neurons demonstrated that ND is a reliable marker for NOS-expressing cells in the mouse olfactory bulb (OB). The histochemical technique differentiates two types of glomeruli: ND-positive and ND-negative. Olfactory glomeruli in the CD-1 strain were about 7% larger than those in the BALB/c animals. While the density of NOS/ND-containing periglomerular cells was similar between both strains studied, more NOS/ND-labelled cells were observed in the ND-positive glomeruli (P = 0.002). Since periglomerular cells in the BALB/c strain do not receive direct olfactory receptors synapses, the present results indicate that such inputs do not regulate the expression of NOS and ND activity in the periglomerular cells. The different densities of NOS/ND-expressing periglomerular cells may indicate that nitric oxide is implicated in a differential modulation of the odor response within both types of chemically distinct glomeruli in the mouse olfactory bulb.