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Expression of early growth response protein 1 in vasopressin neurones of the rat anterior olfactory nucleus following social odour exposure
Author(s) -
Wacker Douglas W.,
Tobin Vicky A.,
Noack Julia,
Bishop Valerie R.,
Duszkiewicz Adrian J.,
Engelmann Mario,
Meddle Simone L.,
Ludwig Mike
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.196139
Subject(s) - vasopressin , biology , olfactory bulb , anterior olfactory nucleus , neuroscience , olfactory system , neuropeptide , piriform cortex , immediate early gene , population , medicine , endocrinology , gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , central nervous system , olfactory tubercle , receptor , gene , genetics , environmental health
The anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), a component of the main olfactory system, is a cortical region that processes olfactory information and acts as a relay between the main olfactory bulbs and higher brain regions such as the piriform cortex. Utilizing a transgenic rat in which an enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter gene is expressed in vasopressin neurones (eGFP‐vasopressin), we have discovered a population of vasopressin neurones in the AON. These vasopressin neurones co‐express vasopressin V1 receptors. They also co‐express GABA and calbinin‐D28k indicating that they are neurochemically different from the newly described vasopressin neurons in the main olfactory bulb. We utilized the immediate early gene product, early growth response protein 1 (Egr‐1), to examine the functional role of these vasopressin neurons in processing social and non‐social odours in the AON. Exposure of adult rats to a conspecific juvenile or a heterospecific predator odour leads to increases in Egr‐1 expression in the AON in a subregion specific manner. However, only exposure to a juvenile increases Egr‐1 expression in AON vasopressin neurons. These data suggest that vasopressin neurones in the AON may be selectively involved in the coding of social odour information.