| First Author | Tenne-Brown J | Year | 1998 |
| Journal | Int J Dev Biol | Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 791-9 |
| PubMed ID | 9727835 | Mgi Jnum | J:105234 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3614367 | Citation | Tenne-Brown J, et al. (1998) Expression of galectin-1 in the mouse olfactory system. Int J Dev Biol 42(6):791-9 |
| abstractText | Primary sensory olfactory axons arise from the olfactory neuroepithelium that lines the nasal cavity and then project via the olfactory nerve into the olfactory bulb. The beta-galactoside binding lectin, galectin-1, and its laminin ligand have been implicated in the growth of these axons along this pathway. In galectin-1 null mutant mice, a subpopulation of primary sensory olfactory axons fails to reach its targets in the olfactory bulb. In the present study we examined the spatiotemporal expression pattern of galectin-1 in normal mice in order to understand its role in the development of the olfactory nerve pathway. At E15.5, when olfactory axons have already contacted the olfactory bulb, galectin-1 was expressed in the cartilage and mesenchyme surrounding the nasal cavity but was absent from the olfactory neuroepithelium, nerve and bulb. Between E16.5 and birth galectin-1 began to be expressed by olfactory nerve ensheathing cells in the lamina propria of the neuroepithelium and nerve fibre layer. Galectin-1 was neither expressed by primary sensory neurons in the olfactory neuroepithelium nor by their axons in the olfactory nerve. Laminin, a galectin-1 ligand, also exhibited a similar expression pattern in the embryonic olfactory nerve pathway. Our results reveal that galectin-1 is dynamically expressed by glial elements within the nerve fibre layer during a discrete period in the developing olfactory nerve pathway. Previous studies have reported galectin-1 acts as a substrate adhesion molecule by cross-linking primary sensory olfactory neurons to laminin. Thus, the coordinate expression of galectin-1 and laminin in the embryonic nerve fibre layer suggests that these molecules support the adhesion and fasciculation of axons en route to their glomerular targets. |
