Development of the main olfactory system and main olfactory epithelium-dependent male mating behavior are altered in G(o)-deficient mice

作者：Choi Jung Mi; Kim Sung Soo; Choi Chan Il; Cha Hye Lim; Oh Huy Hyen; Ghil Sungho; Lee Young Don; Birnbaumer Lutz^*; Suh Kim Haeyoung^*

来源：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016, 113(39): 10974-10979.

DOI：10.1073/pnas.1613026113

• heterotrimeric G(o) protein
• olfactory mucosa
• olfactory bulb interneuron
• tyrosine monooxygenase
• sexual behavior

In mammals, initial detection of olfactory stimuli is mediated by sensory neurons in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein G(o) is widely expressed in the MOE and VNO of mice. Early studies indicated that G(o) expression in VNO sensory neurons is critical for directing social and sexual behaviors in female mice [Oboti L, et al. (2014) BMC Biol 12:31]. However, the physiological functions of G(o) in the MOE have remained poorly defined. Here, we examined the role of G(o) in the MOE using mice lacking the a subunit of G(o). Development of the olfactory bulb (OB) was perturbed in mutant mice as a result of reduced neurogenesis and increased cell death. The balance between cell types of OB interneurons was altered in mutant mice, with an increase in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive interneurons at the expense of calbindin-positive interneurons. Sexual behavior toward female mice and preference for female urine odors by olfactory sensory neurons in the MOE were abolished in mutant male mice. Our data suggest that G(o) signaling is essential for the structural and functional integrity of the MOE and for specification of OB interneurons, which in turn are required for the transmission of pheromone signals and the initiation of mating behavior with the opposite sex.

• 出版日期2016-9-27