Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cell Biology, OLFACTORY SENSORY NEURONS, PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOLAMINE-BINDING PROTEIN, KINASE INHIBITORY PROTEIN, MICE DEFICIENT, GROWTH CONE, CAMP, EXPRESSION, BULB, CONVERGENCE, BRAIN, axon targeting, axonal odorant receptors, olfactory bulb, topographic map, Animals, Axons, Calcium, Cilia, Complex Mixtures, Embryo, Mammalian, Gene Expression Regulation, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Odorants, Olfactory Bulb, Olfactory Perception, Olfactory Receptor Neurons, Phosphatidylethanolamine Binding Protein, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Receptors, Odorant, Signal Transduction, Smell, 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 1116 Medical Physiology, 31 Biological sciences

Abstract:

In mammals, odorant receptors not only detect odors but also define the target in the olfactory bulb, where sensory neurons project to give rise to the sensory map. The odorant receptor is expressed at the cilia, where it binds odorants, and at the axon terminal. The mechanism of activation and function of the odorant receptor at the axon terminal is, however, still unknown. Here, we identify phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 as a putative ligand that activates the odorant receptor at the axon terminal and affects the turning behavior of sensory axons. Genetic ablation of phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 in mice results in a strongly disturbed olfactory sensory map. Our data suggest that the odorant receptor at the axon terminal of olfactory neurons acts as an axon guidance cue that responds to molecules originating in the olfactory bulb. The dual function of the odorant receptor links specificity of odor perception and axon targeting.