Activity Regulates Functional Connectivity from the Vomeronasal Organ to the Accessory Olfactory Bulb
| Autor: | Nathaniel N. Urban, Greg LaRocca, Kenneth R. Hovis, Jeffrey E. Dahlen, Anna L. Romanova, Mark E. Bier, Rohit Ramnath |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
Olfactory system
Male Patch-Clamp Techniques Vomeronasal organ Neuropeptide Gene Expression Genes MHC Class I Sensory system Mice Transgenic Biology Receptors Presynaptic Article Olfactory Receptor Neurons chemistry.chemical_compound Mice Neural Pathways Image Processing Computer-Assisted Animals Patch clamp Receptor Neurotransmitter Microscopy Confocal General Neuroscience Neuropeptides Dendrites Immunohistochemistry Olfactory Bulb Axons Olfactory bulb Smell Electroporation Freeze Drying chemistry nervous system Female Vomeronasal Organ Neuroscience Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos |
| Popis: | The mammalian accessory olfactory system is specialized for the detection of chemicals that identify kin and conspecifics. Vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs), residing in the vomeronasal organ, project axons to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) where they form synapses with principle neurons, known as mitral cells. The organization of this projection is quite precise and is believed to be essential for appropriate function of this system. However, how this precise connectivity is established is unknown. We show here that in mice the vomeronasal duct is open at birth, allowing external chemical stimuli access to sensory neurons, and that these sensory neurons are capable of releasing neurotransmitter to downstream neurons as early as the first post-natal day. Using major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-1) peptides to activate a selective subset of VSNs during the first few post-natal days of development, we show that increased activity results in exuberant VSN axonal projections and a delay in axonal coalescence into well-defined glomeruli in the AOB. Finally, we show that mitral cell dendritic refinement occurs just after the coalescence of pre-synaptic axons. Such a mechanism may allow the formation of precise connectivity with specific glomeruli that receive input from sensory neurons expressing the same receptor type. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|