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Olfactory receptors and signalling elements in the Grueneberg ganglion
Author(s) -
Fleischer Jörg,
Schwarzenbacher Karin,
Besser Stefanie,
Hass Nicole,
Breer Heinz
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03894.x
Subject(s) - vomeronasal organ , olfactory system , biology , receptor , olfactory epithelium , olfactory marker protein , olfactory bulb , microbiology and biotechnology , olfactory mucosa , adenylyl cyclase , neuroscience , olfaction , olfactory receptor , endocrinology , medicine , signal transduction , central nervous system , genetics
Abstract The Grueneberg ganglion (GG) is a cluster of neurones present in the vestibule of the anterior nasal cavity. Although its function is still elusive, recent studies have shown that cells of the GG transcribe the gene encoding the olfactory marker protein (OMP) and project their axons to glomeruli of the olfactory bulb, suggesting that they may have a chemosensory function. Chemosensory responsiveness of olfactory neurones in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO) is based on the expression of either odorant receptors or vomeronasal putative pheromone receptors. To scrutinize its presumptive olfactory nature, the GG was assessed for receptor expression by extensive RT–PCR analyses, leading to the identification of a distinct vomeronasal receptor which was expressed in the majority of OMP‐positive GG neurones. Along with this receptor, these cells expressed the G proteins G o and G i , both of which are also present in sensory neurones of the vomeronasal organ. Odorant receptors were expressed by very few cells during prenatal and perinatal stages; a similar number of cells expressed adenylyl cyclase type III and G olf/s , characteristic signalling elements of the main olfactory system. The findings of the study support the notion that the GG is in fact a subunit of the complex olfactory system, comprising cells with either a VNO‐like or a MOE‐like phenotype. Moreover, expression of a vomeronasal receptor indicates that the GG might serve to detect pheromones.