| First Author | Shykind BM | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | Cell | Volume | 117 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 801-15 |
| PubMed ID | 15186780 | Mgi Jnum | J:90717 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3044501 | Doi | 10.1016/j.cell.2004.05.015 |
| Citation | Shykind BM, et al. (2004) Gene switching and the stability of odorant receptor gene choice. Cell 117(6):801-15 |
| abstractText | Individual olfactory sensory neurons express only a single odorant receptor from a large family of genes, and this singularity is an essential feature in models of olfactory perception. We have devised a genetic strategy to examine the stability of receptor choice. We observe that immature olfactory sensory neurons that express a given odorant receptor can switch receptor expression, albeit at low frequency. Neurons that express a mutant receptor gene switch receptor transcription with significantly greater probability, suggesting that the expression of a functional odorant receptor elicits a feedback signal that terminates switching. This process of receptor gene switching assures that a neuron will ultimately express a functional receptor and that the choice of this receptor will remain stable for the life of the cell. |
