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Expression of the neuronal calcium sensor protein NCS‐1 in the developing mouse olfactory pathway
Author(s) -
Treloar Helen B.,
Uboha Ulyana,
Jeromin Andreas,
Greer Charles A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.20431
Subject(s) - biology , neuroscience , olfactory system , calcium binding protein , calcium imaging , calcium , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine
Neuron specific calcium sensor 1 (NCS‐1) is widely expressed in the developing and adult nervous system. Like calmodulin, NCS‐1 is a member of a family of calcium binding proteins that contain EF‐hand motifs, which bind calcium and induce conformational changes in the protein. Their binding varies with calcium concentration, allowing them to act as true calcium sensors rather than just calcium binding proteins. This family of proteins has been implicated in important synaptic events including neurotransmitter release and synapse formation. We examined the expression of NCS‐1 in the developing and mature olfactory system to determine whether this molecule may be playing a role in establishing and/or maintaining olfactory circuitry. During development, expression of NCS‐1 in the olfactory epithelium was localized in the dendritic knobs and axons of olfactory sensory neurons. Axonal expression was down‐regulated after synapse formation. In the developing olfactory bulb, NCS‐1 was expressed in the processes of mitral/tufted and granule cells. However, in the adult olfactory bulb, strongest expression was found in a subset of periglomerular cells (PGCs). This subset of PGCs did not express other known markers of PGCs including tyrosine hydroxylase, glutamic acid decarboxylase, calbindin, or calretinin, and only partially overlapped with the subpopulation of PGCs that express parvalbumin. Together, these data suggest multiple and overlapping roles of NCS‐1 in the developing and mature olfactory system. J. Comp. Neurol. 482:201–216, 2005. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.