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A Neuronal Identity Code for the Odorant Receptor-Specific and Activity-Dependent Axon Sorting

2006; Cell Press; Volume: 127; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cell.2006.10.031

1097-4172

Shou Serizawa, Kazunari Miyamichi, Haruki Takeuchi, Yuya Yamagishi, Misao Suzuki, Hitoshi Sakano,

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques

In the mouse, olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the same odorant receptor (OR) converge their axons to a specific set of glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. To study how OR-instructed axonal fasciculation is controlled, we searched for genes whose expression profiles are correlated with the expressed ORs. Using the transgenic mouse in which the majority of OSNs express a particular OR, we identified such genes coding for the homophilic adhesive molecules Kirrel2/Kirrel3 and repulsive molecules ephrin-A5/EphA5. In the CNGA2 knockout mouse, where the odor-evoked cation influx is disrupted, Kirrel2 and EphA5 were downregulated, while Kirrel3 and ephrin-A5 were upregulated, indicating that these genes are transcribed in an activity-dependent manner. Mosaic analysis demonstrated that gain of function of these genes generates duplicated glomeruli. We propose that a specific set of adhesive/repulsive molecules, whose expression levels are determined by OR molecules, regulate the axonal fasciculation of OSNs during the process of glomerular map formation.