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The Journal of Neuroscience, September 15, 2000, 20(18):6927-6938
Local Permutations in the Glomerular Array of the Mouse
Olfactory Bulb
Jörg
Strotmann1, 2,
Sidonie
Conzelmann2,
Anja
Beck2,
Paul
Feinstein1,
Heinz
Breer2, and
Peter
Mombaerts1
1 The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021, and 2 Institute of Physiology, University
Stuttgart-Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany
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ABSTRACT |
Olfactory sensory neurons expressing a given odorant receptor gene
project their axons with great precision to a few specific glomeruli in
the olfactory bulb. It is not clear to which extent the positions of
these glomeruli are fixed. We sought to evaluate the constancy of the
glomerular array in the mouse by determining the relative positions of
glomeruli for various odorant receptors, using a method that affords
single-axon resolution, and in a large number of bulbs. We used a
genetic strategy to visualize neuronal populations that express one of
three members of the mOR37 subfamily. We generated by
gene targeting five strains of mice in which expression of a given
mOR37 gene is linked to expression of an axonal maker, which is either taulacZ or tauGFP. The patterns of marker expression faithfully mimic those of the cognate receptors. Axons of neurons expressing a given mOR37 gene converge onto one or two
glomeruli per bulb. Each mOR37 gene has its own
glomeruli, and the mOR37 glomeruli are grouped within a
restricted domain of the bulb. Serial sectioning of 214 bulbs reveals
that the relative positions of the three types of glomeruli are not
fixed but display local permutations. Importantly, this is also the
case among the two bulbs from one individual, ruling out the
genetic manipulation itself and differences in genetic background or
olfactory experience as causes for the observed variability. These
local permutations may reflect the developmental history of the
glomeruli and are relevant for the construction of spatial odor maps.
Key words:
olfaction; olfactory system; olfactory bulb; glomerulus; sensory neuron; olfactory receptor; odorant receptor
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INTRODUCTION |
The vertebrate olfactory system
detects and discriminates numerous chemical compounds. Odorant
reception initiates when odorous molecules interact with specific
odorant receptors (ORs) on the surface of olfactory sensory neurons
(OSNs) (Shepherd, 1994 ). The OR repertoire is encoded by the largest
gene family in the vertebrate genome, comprising as many as 1000 genes
in mouse and rat (Buck and Axel, 1991 ) (for review, see Mombaerts,
1999a ,b ). Individual OSNs express a few OR genes, perhaps only a single one (Malnic et al., 1999 ). For most ORs, OSNs expressing a given OR are
segregated within one of four zones of the olfactory epithelium in
which they are interspersed with OSNs expressing other ORs (Ressler et
al., 1993 ; Vassar et al., 1993 ; Strotmann et al., 1994 ). In contrast to
their scattered distribution within an epithelial zone, OSNs expressing
a given OR project their axons to a few common glomeruli in the
olfactory bulb, as was revealed indirectly by in situ
hybridization (Ressler et al., 1994 ; Vassar et al., 1994 ) and directly
by axonal labeling (Mombaerts et al., 1996 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ). The
latter approach is based on gene targeting in mice and results in
-galactosidase staining of the cell bodies, axons, and axon
terminals of individual OSNs expressing a given OR. Using a similar
genetic strategy, we provided evidence that ORs have instructive roles
in directing axons to their appropriate glomeruli in the bulb
(Mombaerts et al., 1996 ; Wang et al., 1998 ; Rodriguez et al.,
1999 ). The concept of the glomerulus as a convergent site of axonal
projections for OSNs expressing a given OR supports a model of
olfactory coding in which odor quality is encoded by a specific
combination of activated glomeruli (Mori et al., 1999 ).
Initial studies emphasized the stereotyped nature of the glomerular
array of the bulb, a view that was based on analysis of the absolute
positions of glomeruli corresponding to single ORs (Ressler et al.,
1994 ; Vassar et al., 1994 ; Mombaerts et al., 1996 ; Wang et al., 1998 ).
A recent report provides preliminary evidence for variability in the
number and positions of the P2 glomeruli (Royal and Key, 1999 ), but the
extent of this variability is less pronounced in other studies of the
P2 OR (Costanzo, 2000 ; Lin et al., 2000 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ). The
constancy of the glomerular array is best analyzed by determining the
relative positions of glomeruli corresponding to various ORs, at
single-axon resolution, and in a large number of bulbs. Such studies
have yet to be performed.
Here, we have tagged three genes of the mOR37 subfamily by
gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells. The use of two
histological axonal markers (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ) allowed us to
perform double-labeling experiments for two distinct ORs. We
demonstrate that axonal populations of OSNs expressing an
mOR37 gene each project to one or two glomeruli per bulb.
These glomeruli are grouped within a defined domain of the bulb, but
their numbers and relative positions vary, even between both bulbs of
the same mouse.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Targeting vectors. Genomic clones containing
mOR37 genes were isolated from a 129/Sv mouse P1 genomic
library (Genome Systems, St. Louis, MO). Fragments containing the
respective OR37 coding regions were subcloned into pBS-SKII
(Stratagene, La Jolla, CA). A PacI site was generated by
recombinant PCR three nucleotides downstream of the stop codon of the
mOR37A, mOR37B, and mOR37C genes,
respectively. A PmeI site was generated at the 3' end of the
targeting vectors for linearization of the construct. A PacI fragment containing IRES-taulacZ-LTNL (Mombaerts et
al., 1996 ) was inserted into the PacI restriction site of
mOR37A and mOR37C, respectively. A
PacI fragment containing IRES-taulacZ-LNL
(Rodriguez et al., 1999 ) was inserted into the PacI
restriction site of mOR37B. A PacI fragment
containing IRES-tauGFP-LNL (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ) was
inserted into the PacI site of mOR37A and
mOR37C, respectively. The version of green fluorescent
protein (GFP) used was EGFP-1 (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA).
Gene targeting. Targeting vectors were linearized with
PmeI. Electroporation and culture of E14 cells (Hooper et
al., 1987 ) were performed as by Mombaerts et al. (1996) . Genomic DNA
from G418-resistant ES clones was digested with EcoRI and
analyzed by Southern blot hybridization with a 5' probe external to the targeting vector.
Targeted ES clones containing the LTNL cassette were
transiently transfected with the plasmid expressing the Cre
recombinase. Genomic DNA from ganciclovir-resistant clones was digested
with EcoRI and analyzed by Southern blot hybridization with
a 3' internal probe. Recombinant clones were injected into C57BL6/J
blastocysts, and germ line transmission was obtained for
mOR37A-ITLZ (clone Y68/Cre8) and
mOR37C-ITLZ (clone V37/Cre1).
Targeted ES clones containing the LNL cassette were injected
directly into blastocysts, and germ line transmission was obtained for
mOR37B-ITLZ-LNL (clone B136),
mOR37A-ITGFP-LNL (clone H26), and
mOR37C-ITGFP-LNL (clone O44). The
neo-selectable marker was subsequently removed by crossing
mice heterozygous for the LNL allele to EIIa-Cre
transgenic mice (Lakso et al., 1996 ). Intercrosses of loxP-positive
mice resulted in loxP-heterozygous and loxP-homozygous mice that were
devoid of the Cre transgene. All analyses were performed
with mice that did not carry the Cre transgene. Mice are in
a mixed (129 × C57BL6/J) background.
5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl- -D-galactopyranoside
staining. Tissues were immersion-fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde in
PBS, pH 7.4, for 60 min at 8°C, incubated in 25% sucrose overnight,
and frozen in Tissue-Tek (Miles, Elkhart, IN). Twelve micrometer
sections were cut on a Reichert & Jung Frigocut 3000 and stained with
5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl- -D-galactopyranoside (X-gal) as follows. They were washed with buffer A (100 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, 2 mM Mg2Cl, and 5 mM EGTA) once for 5 min and once for 25 min at
room temperature, followed by two incubations of 5 min at room
temperature in buffer B (100 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, 2 mM Mg2Cl 0.01%
sodium deoxycholate, and 0.02% Nonidet P-40). The blue precipitate was
generated by exposure at 37°C to buffer C (buffer B with 5 mM potassium-ferricyanide, 5 mM
potassium-ferrocyanide, and 1 mg/ml X-gal).
Immunohistochemistry. Tissues were fixed for 45 min in 2%
paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH
7.4, at 8°C and incubated in 25% sucrose overnight. Sixteen
micrometer coronal sections were mounted on Superfrost slides (Fisher,
Pittsburgh, PA). For -galactosidase immunostaining, primary
antibodies (Clontech) were used at a 1:500 dilution, followed by a
1:500 diluted goat anti-rabbit antibody conjugated to Cy3
(Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, PA). Sections were mounted in
Vectashield (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA).
In situ hybridization on frozen sections. Templates for
specific antisense RNA probes were generated by PCR amplification of
the 3' noncoding region. Amplification products were subcloned into the
pGEM T-vector and sequenced before probe preparation.
5' primers were mOR37A/1, mOR37B/1, and mOR37C/1; 3' primers were
mOR37A/2, mOR37B/2, and mOR37C/2 (Strotmann et al., 1999 ). Probes were
generated from templates using the SP6/T7 in vitro transcription system (Boehringer Mannheim, Basel, Switzerland). Two
micrograms of linearized vector were transcribed in the presence of 70 nmol of digoxigenin-11-uridine-5'-trisphosphate. RNA was precipitated
with ethanol and resuspended in 20 ml of "in situ grade"
hybridization buffer (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, NJ) containing 50% deionized formamide.
Mice were killed by CO2 asphyxiation and
decapitated. The lower jaw and top of the skull were carefully removed
using a bone cutter (Fine Science Tools, Foster City, CA). The tissue
was embedded in Tissue-Tek and frozen on dry ice. Coronal sections of
10 µm were cut on a cryostat at 24°C, adhered to Superfrost
microslides, and air-dried for 2 hr. For in situ
hybridization, tissue sections were covered with 10 µl of
hybridization solution containing ~3-5 ng of digoxigenin-labeled RNA
and coverslipped. Hybridization and posthybridization washes were
performed as by Strotmann et al. (1994) .
Quantitative analyses. The relative positions of cell somata
within the vertical dimension of the olfactory epithelium were determined as detailed previously (Strotmann et al., 1996 ) using a
video camera connected to a Zeiss (Oberkochen, Germany) Axiophot microscope and the image analysis program Semper6 (Synoptics, Cambridge, UK). At 400× magnification, the vertical distance of a cell
body from the basal membrane (a) was determined. At the same
position, the thickness of the cellular layer of the epithelium [the
distance from the basal membrane to the nasal lumen (b)] was determined. The relative position of the cell soma was then determined as the quotient of a divided by b.
Mice. The analyses were performed on a total of 214 bulbs
from 129 different mice. The remaining 44 bulbs were judged
uninformative, for instance, because of damage. For each
genotype, 16-23 mice were analyzed from three to six litters. Both
males and females were used at ages between 10 and 16 weeks.
Microscopy and photography. Whole-mount specimens were
photographed using a Wild M8 stereomicroscope. Sections were analyzed with a Zeiss Axiophot microscope. Fluorescence was examined using the
appropriate filter sets for Cy3 and EGFP. Overlay of fluorescent images
was obtained by double or triple exposure of individual color slides
(400 ASA). The fluorescent glomerulus was photographed in whole mount
at 400× magnification using an Olympus Optical (Tokyo, Japan) IX70
inverted microscope with fluorescence optics.
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RESULTS |
Targeted mutagenesis of mOR37 genes
OSNs expressing ORs of the mOR37 subfamily occupy a
circumscribed region within the epithelium that overlaps with three of the four expression zones for the other ORs (Strotmann et al., 1992 ;
Kubick et al., 1997 ). In mouse, this subfamily comprises five highly
related mOR37 genes (mOR37A-mOR37E) that are
arranged in a cluster on chromosome 4; one sequence is a pseudogene
(Strotmann et al., 1999 ). The genomic organization of the
mOR37 gene cluster is summarized in Figure
1A. To construct
targeting vectors, genomic clones encoding the mOR37A,
mOR37B, or mOR37C genes, respectively, were
modified by insertion of a marker cassette 3' of the stop codon. The
cassettes were IRES-taulacZ, directing cotranslation of the
OR together with taulacZ (henceforth referred to as lacZ) (Mombaerts et al., 1996 ), or IRES-tauGFP (abbreviated as
GFP) in which the lacZ coding sequence is substituted by
that of the green fluorescent protein (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ). Five
targeting vectors were designed for three mOR37 genes (Fig.
1B-D), and five strains of gene-targeted mice were
generated that carry the corresponding mutations. The
neo-selectable marker was removed from the targeted mutations, because we have experienced that it frequently interferes with gene expression from targeted loci.

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Figure 1.
Genetic strategy. A, Genomic
organization of the mOR37 locus, redrawn from Strotmann
et al. (1999) . The coding regions are indicated by boxes
(not drawn to scale), and their transcriptional orientation is
indicated by arrows. The distance between the coding
regions is given in kilobases. The asterisk indicates
that mOR37D is a pseudogene. B-D,
Targeted mutagenesis of mOR37 genes. B,
mOR37A. a, Wild-type
mOR37A locus; the coding region is represented by a
red box. Restriction sites are indicated for
EcoRI (E) and SacI
(S). b,
mOR37A-IRES-taulacZ-LTNL
targeting vector. The white box labeled i
represents the IRES sequence, the blue
box represents the coding sequence of taulacZ,
and the yellow box represents the
neo-selectable marker LTNL (not drawn to
scale) flanked by loxP sites (indicated by black
triangles). c, mOR37A locus after
homologous recombination. d,
mOR37A-IRES-taulacZ
(A-lacZ) mutation after Cre-mediated
excision of the neo-cassette, which leaves a single loxP
site behind. The 5' and 3' external probes used to detect,
respectively, homologous recombination and Cre
recombination, are indicated as horizontal bars on the
left and right, respectively.
e,
mOR37A-IRES-tauGFP
(A-GFP) mutation, after
Cre-recombination. C,
mOR37B. a, Wild-type
mOR37B locus; the coding region is indicated by an
orange box. Restriction sites for EcoRI
(E), BamHI
(B), and KpnI
(K) are indicated. b,
mOR37B-IRES-taulacZ-LNL
targeting vector. The yellow box represents the
neo-selectable marker LNL (not drawn to
scale) flanked by loxP sites (indicated by black
triangles). c,
mOR37B-IRES-taulacZ
(B-lacZ) mutation after
Cre-recombination. D,
mOR37C. a, Wild-type
mOR37C locus; the coding region is indicated by a
pink box. Restriction sites for EcoRI
(E) and SpeI (Sp) are indicated.
b,
mOR37C-IRES-taulacZ-LTNL
targeting vector. c,
mOR37C-IRES-taulacZ
(C-lacZ) mutation, after
Cre-recombination. d,
mOR37C-IRES-tauGFP
(C-GFP) mutation, after
Cre-recombination.
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Patterns of mOR37-expressing neurons
We first confirmed that the spatial patterns of OSNs expressing
the mOR37-lacZ alleles match the patterns of OSNs expressing the corresponding wild-type alleles.
Whole-mount specimens of mice that carry either of the three
mOR37-lacZ mutations were stained with X-gal.
Figure 2A shows a view
onto a half-head from a mouse homozygous for the
mOR37A-lacZ (henceforth abbreviated
A-lacZ) mutation. Blue-colored cell bodies are clustered in
a patch in the center of the turbinates. This characteristic pattern
also emerges when mice homozygous for the mOR37B-lacZ (B-lacZ) mutation (Fig.
2B) or the mOR37C-lacZ
(C-lacZ) mutation (Fig. 2C) were stained.
Whole-mount in situ hybridization using a
digoxigenin-labeled riboprobe specific for mOR37B labels cell bodies in a wild-type mouse (Fig. 2D) that are
located in the same patch as those detected by X-gal staining of a
B-lacZ mouse (Fig. 2B). Similar results
were obtained using mOR37A- and mOR37C-specific
probes (data not shown).

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Figure 2.
Patterns of mOR37-expressing OSNs
in the nasal cavity. a, Whole-mount view of the right
half-head from an A-lacZ mouse stained with X-gal. The
nasal septum was removed, allowing a view onto the medial aspect of the
turbinates. Blue cells are clustered in a patch in the
central region of the turbinates (anterior is to the
left, and dorsal is to the top).
b, Whole-mount preparation of a B-lacZ
mouse stained with X-gal. c, Whole-mount preparation of
a C-lacZ mouse stained with X-gal. d,
Whole-mount in situ hybridization using a probe specific
for mOR37B. Reactive cells are clustered in the same
small area of epithelium as those cells expressing the corresponding
mutant allele in B-lacZ mice (compare with
b). e, f, Adjacent coronal
sections through the nasal cavity from a heterozygous
B-lacZ mouse stained with X-gal
(e) or subjected to in situ
hybridization with a probe specific for mOR37B
(f). The pattern of cells labeled by either X-gal
staining or in situ hybridization is superimposable.
Reactive cells are clustered on the tips of endoturbinates II and III
and on ectoturbinate 3. Scale bars: e, f,
200 µm.
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Coronal sections through the nasal cavity from a heterozygous
B-lacZ mouse (Fig. 2E) reveal the
characteristic clustering of X-gal-reactive OSNs expressing ORs from
the mOR37 subfamily on the tip regions of endoturbinates II
and III and on ectoturbinate 3. In adjacent sections of the same
specimen (Fig. 2F), in situ hybridization
identifies cells expressing mOR37B from the targeted or
wild-type allele. Importantly, the spatial patterns of the cells
reacting with X-gal histochemistry (Fig. 2E) or
in situ hybridization (Fig. 2F) are
superimposable; there are no areas that contain only cells reactive
with the riboprobe (reflecting either the targeted or wild-type allele)
but not with X-gal (representing the targeted allele). Similar results
were obtained with A-lacZ and C-lacZ mice (data
not shown). Thus, at a gross level, the spatial expression pattern of
the mOR37 genes is not affected by targeted insertion of the
IRES-taulacZ cassette.
Laminar organization
We have shown previously that, in mature (>6-week-old) mice, OSNs
expressing a particular OR gene exhibit an additional level of spatial
organization within the olfactory epithelium; the cell bodies are
arranged in distinct laminar layers (Strotmann et al., 1996 ). The
significance of this phenomenon is not understood, but this layering
provides the opportunity for another important control experiment
regarding the regulation of expression of the targeted and wild-type alleles.
A cross-section through the epithelium of an A-lacZ mouse
after X-gal staining is shown in Figure
3A. The dendrites and axons of
individual A-lacZ expressing OSNs appear of similar length, implying that the cell bodies are preferentially located within the
middle layer of the epithelium. The relative position within the
cellular layer was determined quantitatively for a large number of
A-lacZ-expressing OSNs (see Materials and Methods). Their
cell bodies are predominantly located within the 0.4-0.6 range (Fig. 3B), with few cells above and below these levels. The
laminar preference of OSNs expressing the mOR37A gene was
confirmed in wild-type mice by in situ hybridization (Fig.
3C), with quantification of the results shown in Figure
3B.

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Figure 3.
Laminar patterning of
mOR37-expressing OSNs. a,
c, d, f, g,
i, Cross-sections of the olfactory epithelium.
b, e, h, Graphic
representations of the numbers of reactive cells in different laminae;
data were collected from randomly selected and informative sections of
four mice each. a, A-lacZ mouse stained
with X-gal. Reactive cells are located within the middle layer of the
epithelium. b, Laminar distribution of cell
bodies reactive with X-gal in A-lacZ mice (blue
bars) and with a specific probe in wild-type mice
(pink bars). c, In
situ hybridization of wild-type mouse with a probe specific for
mOR37A. d, B-lacZ mouse
stained with X-gal. Reactive cells are closer to the luminal surface
than A-lacZ cells (see a). e, Laminar
distribution of cell bodies reactive with X-gal in
B-lacZ mice (blue bars) and with a
specific probe in wild-type mice (pink bars).
f, In situ hybridization of wild-type
mouse with a probe specific for mOR37B.
g, C-lacZ mouse stained with X-gal.
Reactive cells are located very close to the luminal surface.
h, Laminar distribution of neurons reactive with X-gal
in C-lacZ mice (blue bars) and with a
specific probe in wild-type mice (pink bars).
i, In situ hybridization of wild-type
mouse with a probe specific for mOR37C. Cells are
located in an apical cellular layer, similar to
C-lacZ-expressing neurons. Scale bars: (in
d) a, d, g,
20 µm; (in f) c,
f, i, 20 µm.
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Cell bodies expressing the B-lacZ allele (Fig.
3D) are located closer to the luminal surface than
A-lacZ cells, within the range of 0.6-0.8 (Fig.
3E). Cells expressing the mOR37B wild-type allele
exhibit a similar laminar patterning (Fig. 3F).
Finally, OSNs expressing the C-lacZ allele (Fig.
3G) have very short dendrites, because their cell bodies are
situated even closer to the luminal surface than
mOR37B-expressing OSNs, in a position ~0.8-1.0 (Fig. 3H,I). We note that the
linear order of mOR37 genes on the chromosome (A-C-B) does
not correspond to the relative laminar positions within the epithelium
(A-B-C), eliminating a simple correlation between these variables.
Thus, OSNs expressing a particular mOR37 gene reside within
distinct epithelial layers, and this configuration is replicated in the
gene-targeted mice. We regard this observation as a sensitive indicator
that the targeted insertion of IRES-taulacZ does not alter
the pattern of gene expression in a major way.
Mutually exclusive expression of mOR37 genes
It is conceivable that mOR37 genes are coexpressed in
some OSNs. The availability of a second histological marker (tauGFP) allows us to examine this issue at the single-cell level.
Double-heterozygous mice were generated that carry two differentially
tagged mOR37 alleles; expression of tagged alleles residing
in trans on homologous chromosomes can be revealed by
double-labeling of individual histological sections. Imaging was
performed by means of the intrinsic fluorescence of GFP (green) and a
Cy3-conjugated secondary antibody to -galactosidase (red).
To ensure that our imaging conditions would adequately identify
double-labeled cells, a control experiment was first performed with double-heterozygous mice carrying the OMP-GFP mutation
(C. Zheng, P. Feinstein, and P. Mombaerts, unpublished
results) and the B-lacZ mutation. In these mice, all mature
OSNs express GFP and are green fluorescent, whereas some OSNs express
also the B-lacZ allele, resulting in red fluorescence. In
double exposure, all B-lacZ neurons appear yellow (Fig.
4A) because of the
overlay of the red and green colors, demonstrating that we can detect both markers simultaneously in single cells.

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Figure 4.
MOR37 gene- and allele-specific expression
patterns. Cross-sections through the olfactory epithelium of
double- or compound-heterozygous mice. The genotype is indicated in the
top right of each panel. GFP-expressing
cells are green fluorescent, lacZ-expressing cells are red fluorescent;
cells coexpressing GFP and lacZ are yellow in double
exposure. a, OMP-GFP × B-lacZ
mouse. All neurons expressing B-lacZ coexpress GFP and
are yellow. b, A-GFP × B-lacZ mouse. Two distinct neuronal populations are
visible, either green fluorescent (A-GFP) or red
fluorescent (B-lacZ). No double-stained neuron is
detectable. c, B-lacZ × C-GFP mouse. No cells are both red and green
fluorescent. Note that both populations are located rather apically
within the epithelium. d, A-lacZ × C-GFP mouse. No double-stained neurons are detectable.
Both populations are located in different horizontal layers of the
epithelium. e, A-lacZ × A-GFP mouse. The mOR37A gene is strictly
subject to monoallelic expression. Two differentially stained neuronal
populations are detectable, and no double-stained cells are found. Note
the location of cell bodies preferentially in the middle cellular layer
of the epithelium. f, C-lacZ × C-GFP mouse. The mOR37C gene is strictly
subject to monoallelic expression. Note the location of cell bodies
preferentially in the apical cellular layer of the epithelium. Scale
bar, 20 µm.
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In mice double-heterozygous for the A-GFP and
B-lacZ mutations (A-GFP × B-lacZ), double exposure reveals two differentially stained
cell populations (Fig. 4B). Among 980 cells analyzed from four mice, no cell was detected expressing both markers. Likewise, analyzing 800 individual fluorescent cells from B-lacZ × C-GFP (Fig. 4C) and A-lacZ × C-GFP crosses (Fig. 4D), we encountered no
double-fluorescent cells. Thus, coexpression of mOR37 genes in trans within individual OSNs is very rare, if it occurs
at all.
Monoallelic expression
The mouse OR genes I7 and I54 are
monoallelically expressed within an individual OSN, from either the
paternal or maternal allele, but not both (Chess et al., 1994 ). It is
not known whether monoallelic expression is a general feature of mouse
OR genes. To image OR-specific glomeruli in the bulb using our
double-labeling approach (see below), monoallelic expression of
mOR37 genes must be confirmed in the gene-targeted mice; we
expect that both alleles are expressed in different populations of
cells and that the differentially labeled axons co-converge to the same glomeruli.
In mice compound-heterozygous for the A-lacZ (maternal red)
and A-GFP (paternal green) mutations, no yellow (i.e.,
double-expressing) cells are present among 750 individual cells,
analyzed in randomly selected and informative sections of three mice
(Fig. 4E). Interestingly, red and green cells are
present in equal numbers (average of 47.3% red cells and 52.7% green
cells). The reverse experiment in which expression of the maternal
allele results in green fluorescence and that of the paternal allele in
red fluorescence gives a similar result in 750 analyzed cells (average
of 51.1% red cells and 48.9% green cells). Both alleles are thus
expressed at equal frequencies in these neuronal populations.
Similarly, among 800 fluorescent cells detected in four mice
heterozygous for the C-lacZ (maternal) and C-GFP
(paternal) mutations (Fig. 4F), no double-fluorescent neurons are detected (average of 54.2% red cells and 45.8% green cells). Thus, these mOR37 genes are subject to monoallelic
expression at a high level of fidelity. Moreover, we have characterized
this phenomenon for the first time quantitatively and at the
single-cell level (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ).
Projection patterns in the olfactory bulb
Having shown in control experiments that the targeted mutagenesis
does not alter the expression pattern of the mOR37 genes, we
next imaged the glomerular targets of A-lacZ-expressing OSNs with X-gal histochemistry in whole mounts and sections (Fig.
5).

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Figure 5.
Glomerular pattern in A-lacZ mice.
a, Whole-mount view onto the ventral surface of a bulb
removed from the cranial cavity. Stained fibers converge on a single
target (anterior is to the left, and medial is to the
top). b, Parasagittal section through a
bulb stained with X-gal and counterstained with neutral red. A single
blue glomerulus is located on the anteroventral aspect
of the bulb. The position of the cribriform plate is indicated by the
dashed line (anterior is to the left, and
dorsal is to the top). c, Higher
magnification identifies the stained area as a single glomerulus.
d, Coronal section through the left and right bulbs
counterstained with neutral red. Individual glomeruli in the ventral
and central region of the bulb are stained blue. They
are located in similar positions in both bulbs (dorsal is to the
top). e, Coronal section through the
right bulb from a different A-lacZ mouse. The labeled
glomerulus is positioned slightly laterally compared with
e. f, Coronal sections through the right
bulb. Of 40 sections, the first and last are shown. The center of the
first glomerulus, as identified by X-gal staining, is located on
section 1, the center of the second glomerulus is located on section
40. They are separated by 34 sections without any glomerular X-gal
staining. Both labeled glomeruli are located in the ventral region of
the bulb but in slightly different mediolateral positions. Scale bars:
b, 400 µm; c, 100 µm;
d-f, 300 µm.
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On the ventral surface of the bulb, many blue axons converge onto a
single target (Fig. 5A). This situation is in contrast with
P2-expressing OSNs in P2-IRES-taulacZ mice, which
project their axons to at least one glomerulus located within each
hemisphere of each bulb (Mombaerts et al., 1996 ; Wang et al., 1998 ;
Royal and Key, 1999 ; Costanzo, 2000 ; Lin et al., 2000 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ). On serial parasagittal sections through this A-lacZ
bulb, again a single target is detectable (Fig. 5B),
confirming the observation from the whole-mount preparation. The target
is located on the anterior and ventral aspect of the bulb, which is
facing the cribriform plate. Higher magnification and counterstaining with neutral red (Fig. 5C) identifies the stained area
unambiguously as a single glomerulus.
Figure 5D shows a representative section through the left
and right bulbs from another mouse of this strain; on each side, a
single stained glomerulus is visible located in a ventral position close to the midline of the bulb. Analysis of 30 bulbs indicates that
axons of A-lacZ-expressing OSNs project to a defined domain of the bulb but also reveals variability in the position of the A-lacZ glomeruli; representative results are shown in Figure
5D-F. A small shift to a more medial position (Fig.
5D, left bulb) is found in 27% of bulbs. In 17%
of the bulbs, a minor shift laterally is observed (Fig. 5E).
This mediolateral shift is within the range of three glomeruli toward
each side from the midline. Importantly, it is not symmetrical between
the two bulbs from one individual (Fig. 5D). An additional
level of variability is that a single labeled glomerulus is detected in
77% of bulbs of A-lacZ mice and two labeled, distinct
glomeruli in 23% of bulbs (Table 1). The
second glomerulus is always located in close vicinity to the other one,
usually 450-500 µm more posterior (Fig. 5F). This
distance corresponds to more than five glomerular widths. In all five
cases of bulbs with two blue glomeruli for which the contralateral bulb of the same mouse was also characterized, the other bulb had only a
single blue glomerulus; in other words, the maximal number of blue
glomeruli in a mouse was three.
Thus, axons of A-lacZ-expressing OSNs converge to one or two
glomeruli per bulb, which are located in a defined domain but at
slightly variable positions. However, a better characterization of
glomerular positions involves determining the relative positions of
glomeruli corresponding to various members of the mOR37 subfamily.
OR-specific glomeruli
Next we determined the glomerular targets for the other tagged
mOR37-lacZ alleles (Fig. 6).
The projection pattern of B-lacZ-expressing neurons was
analyzed in series of cross-sections through 26 bulbs of
B-lacZ mice. In 62% of bulbs, a single stained glomerulus
is detected, located in the ventral region (Fig. 6A)
in a position very similar to the A-lacZ glomeruli.
B-lacZ glomeruli from different bulbs exhibit a mediolateral
variability (data not shown), as was described for the
A-lacZ mice. In 38% of B-lacZ bulbs, two stained
glomeruli are observed (Table 1), with the second glomerulus also
located in a similar ventral position of the bulb and separated from
the first one by 400-500 µm in the anteroposterior dimension (data not shown). From six cases with two blue glomeruli in one bulb
and bilateral analysis, four had also two blue glomeruli in the other
bulb.

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Figure 6.
Glomerular patterns in mOR37-lacZ
mice. Coronal sections through the right bulbs from various
mOR37-lacZ strains stained with X-gal
(dorsal is to the top, and medial is to the
left). a, B-lacZ. The
stained glomerulus is located in the ventral and central region of the
bulb. b, C-lacZ. The stained glomerulus
is also located in the ventral and central region of the bulb.
c, A-lacZ × B-lacZ.
Two distinct blue-stained glomeruli are visible, which are located
adjacent to each other. d, A-lacZ × B-lacZ. Two glomeruli are stained, separated in the
mediolateral dimension by one unlabeled glomerulus. e,
A-lacZ × B-lacZ. Of six sections,
the first and the last are shown. On the first section, a stained
glomerulus is visible in the ventral region of the bulb. On the next
three sections, the glomerular X-gal staining disappears but reappears
on the consecutive ones. Thus, these two glomeruli are located
immediately adjacent to each other in the anteroposterior dimension.
f, B-lacZ × C-lacZ.
Two glomeruli are stained, separated in the mediolateral dimension by
two unlabeled glomeruli. g,
A-lacZ × C-lacZ. Two stained
glomeruli are visible, located adjacent to each other in the
mediolateral dimension. Scale bar: (in a)
a-d, f, g, represents 200 µm; e, 200 µm.
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Analysis of the third targeted allele, C-lacZ, yields
similar observations. In 81% of 31 bulbs, a single labeled glomerulus is located in the ventral position of the bulb (Fig.
6B, Table 1). In the remaining 19%, a second stained
glomerulus is located 400-500 µm more posterior. From four cases
with two blue glomeruli in one bulb and bilateral analysis, two had
also two blue glomeruli in the other bulb.
Thus, OSNs expressing distinct ORs of the mOR37 subfamily
project their axons to glomeruli that are located within a defined domain of the bulb (ventral and central). We estimate that this domain
encompasses ~30 of the 1800 glomeruli (~2%) in the bulb.
Spatial relationships between mOR37 glomeruli
Because the position of the labeled glomeruli varies between
individuals, the identity of a glomerulus cannot be deduced from its
position. It is thus conceivable that different mOR37
subpopulations project to the same glomeruli.
Therefore, mice double-heterozygous for two distinct
mOR37-lacZ mutations were examined. This comparison is valid
because mice heterozygous for a particular mOR37-lacZ
mutation are indistinguishable from homozygotes (data not shown).
Figure 6C shows a coronal section through the bulb of an
A-lacZ × B-lacZ mouse. Two distinct
glomeruli are now stained, suggesting that OSNs expressing
A-lacZ or B-lacZ project to different glomeruli.
Analyzing 27 bulbs from this genotype, in no case is only a single
glomerulus stained (Table 1). Two and three glomeruli are detectable at
similar percentages (48 and 45%, respectively); only in 7%, four
stained glomeruli are visible in a single bulb.
Among the 13 bulbs from A-lacZ × B-lacZ
mice with two blue glomeruli, in most cases (n = 10, or
77%) they are located side by side. Of these 10 cases, seven cases are
adjacent in the mediolateral dimension (Fig. 6C), and in
three cases, this relationship pertains to the anteroposterior
dimension (Fig. 6E). In the three other bulbs with
two labeled glomeruli, they are separated by one unlabeled glomerulus
in the mediolateral dimension (Fig. 6D), or two and three unlabeled glomeruli in the mediolateral and anteroposterior dimensions, respectively (data not shown). In the 12 bulbs with three
blue glomeruli, the third glomerulus is located 400-500 µm more
posterior, comparable with the location of the extra glomerulus observed in mOR37-lacZ mice (Fig. 5F). In
nine of these 12 bulbs, two glomeruli are adjacent and the third is
separate; in the remaining three bulbs, none of the three labeled
glomeruli are adjacent. In the two bulbs with four labeled glomeruli, a
second doublet of glomeruli is present with the characteristics
described for the first pair (data not shown). Together, these
observations suggest that the A and B glomeruli
are preferentially adjacent (Table
2).
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Table 2.
Percentage of olfactory bulbs with adjacent and separated
stained glomeruli in mOR37-lacZ double-heterozygous mice
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In all 29 bulbs from B-lacZ × C-lacZ mice,
more than one glomerulus is stained, suggesting that B-lacZ-
or C-lacZ-expressing OSNs also project to different
glomeruli (Fig. 6F, Table 1). Two or three glomeruli are
identified at similar percentages (52 and 41%, respectively), and four
glomeruli are found in only 7% of bulbs. This distribution is
comparable with that of the A-lacZ × B-lacZ
genotype. A major difference, however, is that in most bulbs with two
blue glomeruli (12 of 15, or 80%), they are not adjacent but separated
by one to three unlabeled glomeruli (Fig. 6F).
Similarly, in eight of 12 bulbs (67%) with three labeled glomeruli,
none of them are adjacent. In the two bulbs with four stained
glomeruli, these are segregated in two pairs as described for the
A-lacZ × B-lacZ cross. Thus, it appears
that the B and C glomeruli are usually separated
by other glomeruli (Table 2).
Finally, among 31 bulbs of A-lacZ × C-lacZ double-heterozygotes, two glomeruli are stained in
65% of bulbs, three glomeruli in 32% of bulbs, and four glomeruli in
a single case. As is the case in the A-lacZ × B-lacZ genotype, in most bulbs with two blue glomeruli (15 of 20, or 75%), they are adjacent to each other (Fig. 6G),
and in only a single case of the 10 bulbs with three blue glomeruli,
they are all separated. This suggests that the A and
C glomeruli are typically adjacent (Table 2).
It is important to note that, from 35 bilaterally characterized cases
of the three types of double-heterozygous mOR37-lacZ mice,
most mice (n = 29, 83%) have a dissimilar pattern of
stained glomeruli between the left and right bulbs; this fraction is
probably underestimated because glomeruli for distinct mOR37
genes cannot be distinguished, precluding their unambiguous
identification on the basis of their positions.
Thus, axons from mOR37-expressing OSNs project in the bulb
to a defined domain in which they target distinct glomeruli at slightly
variable positions. In ~80% of bulbs, the A and
B glomeruli and the A and C glomeruli
are adjacent.
TauGFP as an axonal marker
Our analysis thus far does not permit us to distinguish to which
of the two mOR37 genes each labeled glomerulus in the
double-heterozygotes corresponds. To determine unambiguously the
relative spatial arrangement of particular mOR37 glomeruli
and to show that they are innervated by OSNs expressing only one
particular mOR37 gene, we made use of the axonal marker
tauGFP (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ).
Figure 7A shows a whole-mount
preparation of a bulb from an A-GFP mouse. At high
magnification, a large number of strongly fluorescent fibers can be
seen converging onto a distinct target. On a horizontal section through
the nose and bulb of an A-GFP mouse, one green fluorescent
target is visible in the anterior region of each bulb (Fig.
7B). The counterstaining with propidium-iodide, which
highlights the shell of periglomerular cell bodies, reveals a single
labeled glomerulus in each case. Thus, tauGFP is an acceptable substitute for taulacZ to image glomeruli for an mOR37
gene.

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Figure 7.
Glomerular patterns in mice with differentially
tagged mOR37 alleles and genes. a,
Whole-mount view of the bulb from an A-GFP mouse.
Intensely fluorescent fiber bundles can be seen converging onto a
single glomerulus. b, Horizontal section through the
nasal cavity and bulb from an A-GFP mouse,
counterstained with propidium-iodide. Individual glomeruli in the two
bulbs are green fluorescent, located at similar positions (posterior is
to the top). c, Cross-section through the
right bulb from an A-GFP × A-lacZ
mouse. Axons from neurons expressing mOR37A but
different axonal markers terminate in the same glomerulus, resulting in
a yellow appearance. A region from the outer nerve layer
(small white box) is shown as an inset;
here, fibers that are either green fluorescent (arrow)
or red fluorescent (arrowhead) are seen approaching the
glomerulus separately. d, Cross-section through the
right bulb from a C-GFP × C-lacZ mouse. Axons from neurons expressing
mOR37C but different axonal markers terminate in the
same glomerulus. e, Cross-section through the
left bulb from an A-GFP × C-lacZ
mouse. Two distinct glomeruli are stained (A-GFP,
green; C-lacZ, red),
located adjacent to each other. Medial is to the right.
f, Cross-section through the left bulb from an
A-GFP × C-lacZ mouse. Again, the
two glomeruli are located adjacent to each other, but the doublet is
displaced in the mediolateral dimension compared with e.
Medial is to the right. g, Cross-section
through the left bulb from another A-GFP - C-lacZ mouse. The glomeruli are also located next to
each other but are arranged in an inverted orientation compared with
e and f. Medial is to the
right. h, Cross-section through the right
bulb from the mouse shown in e. The two labeled
glomeruli are separated by two unlabeled glomeruli. The spatial
arrangement is thus discordant between the two bulbs of this mouse.
Medial is to the left. i, Four coronal
sections (16 µm each) through the bulb from an
A-GFP × C-lacZ mouse. The
approximate center of the C-lacZ glomerulus is located
on section 1. On section 4, the C-lacZ glomerulus is
still visible; adjacent to it, the A-GFP glomerulus is
now visible. These two glomeruli are located immediately next to each
other but in a slightly different anteroposterior dimension. Scale
bars: a, 100 µm; b, 200 µm;
c-i, 50 µm.
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It is important to demonstrate that the two populations of OSNs, each
expressing a differentially tagged allele of the same mOR37
gene as a result of monoallelic expression, co-converge to the same
glomeruli. Coronal sections through the bulbs from compound-heterozygous A-GFP × A-lacZ mice
were analyzed. Figure 7C shows a triple exposure of a
section counterstained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole to determine
the contours of individual glomeruli. Small numbers of green
fluorescent (A-GFP allele) and red fluorescent
(A-lacZ allele) fibers are visible in the outer nerve layer.
The larger fiber bundles and the glomerulus itself appear intensely
yellow because of the overlay of the two colors, indicating that the axons of both neuronal subpopulations intermingle diffusely and terminate within the same glomerulus. Similar results are obtained for
neurons expressing differentially tagged mOR37C alleles
(Fig. 7D). Thus, targeted integration of the
IRES-taulacZ or IRES-tauGFP cassette results in
identical projection patterns.
Local permutations in the glomerular array
Next, mice double-heterozygous for the A-GFP and
C-lacZ mutations were analyzed to determine the position of
the glomeruli relative to each other. Figure 7E shows a
cross-section through the bulb from an A-GFP × C-lacZ mouse. The triple exposure reveals two differentially
stained glomeruli. At this level of resolution, differentially labeled
fibers each form distinct glomeruli, demonstrating that OSNs expressing
different mOR37 genes innervate specific glomeruli. The
analysis of A-lacZ × C-lacZ mice described
above suggested that the A and C glomeruli are
usually adjacent, with 65, 32, and 3% of cases of two, three, and four
glomeruli, respectively (Table 1). Among 40 bulbs of
A-GFP × C-lacZ mice, there are 27 with two
glomeruli, 11 with three, and two with four glomeruli; this
distribution of 67, 28, and 5% matches that observed in the A-lacZ × C-lacZ cross. Similarly, in 82%
of cases with two blue glomeruli, they are adjacent compared with 81%
in the A-GFP × C-lacZ. Thus, these
observations indicate that the IRES-taulacZ and
IRES-tauGFP alleles are functionally equivalent for our
purposes and, furthermore, that the projection patterns in
gene-targeted mice reflect the wild-type situation.
Because we are here able to distinguish the A and
C glomeruli, bulbs with more than two labeled glomeruli can
also be included in the analysis. Together, A-GFP and
C-lacZ glomeruli are adjacent in 32 of 40 bulbs (80%)
analyzed from this cross. In 19 of these 32 bulbs (59%), they are
adjacent in the mediolateral dimension. In 11 of these 32 bulbs (34%),
the A glomerulus is medial to the C glomerulus,
as shown in Figure 7, E and F; the position of
the red-green doublet along the mediolateral axis is slightly
different in these two examples, confirming the conclusion from the
double-lacZ cross (Fig. 6G). In eight of the 32 bulbs with adjacent glomeruli (25%), the two types of glomeruli are
arranged in the reverse, lateromedial, orientation (Fig.
7G), the A glomerulus is here located lateral to
the C glomerulus. Two stained glomeruli are adjacent in the
anteroposterior dimension in 13 of 32 bulbs (41%). In the example
shown in Figure 7I, the C glomerulus occupies a position immediately anterior to the A glomerulus; this
arrangement is found in six bulbs (19%); the reverse, posteroanterior,
orientation is observed in the remaining seven bulbs (22%). As is the
case in A-lacZ × C-lacZ genotype, in a
minority of bulbs (8 of 40, or 20%), A and C
glomeruli are separated by one, two (Fig. 7H), or
three unlabeled glomeruli.
The analysis yields similar conclusions when the 27 bulbs of the
A-GFP × C-lacZ genotype with only two
labeled glomeruli are considered separately. The four combinations of
A and C glomerular relationships are 48% for
mediolateral, 22% for lateromedial, 15% for anteroposterior, and 15%
for posteroanterior. The variable structure of the glomerular array
becomes even clearer by analysis of the patterns in the 17 A-GFP × C-lacZ mice with two bulbs
characterized. Only eight mice (47%) had the same number of glomeruli
in each bulb, and a mere two mice (12%) showed identical numbers (two) and indistinguishable relative positions (mediolateral). This is the
best evidence for local permutations in the glomerular array.
Variability
From the large number of possibilities, selected combinations are
shown in Figure 8 involving a single
glomerulus per mOR37 gene, for the sake of clarity. The
quantitative analyses reveal a preferred (~80%) arrangement of the
A glomerulus adjacent to the B glomerulus and the
C glomerulus, whereas the B and the C glomeruli are most frequently not located next to each other (shown in
situations 1-3). In the remaining ~20%
of cases, the A glomerulus is neither located adjacent to
the B nor to the C glomerulus (shown in
situation 4). However, the B
and C glomeruli are located adjacent to each other only in
these rare cases (also shown in situation 4).

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Figure 8.
Local permutations in the glomerular array.
Schematic three-dimensional representations of a restricted domain of
the glomerular array from the anteroventral region of the right
olfactory bulb. This region is located behind the cribriform plate and
viewed from the nasal cavity; only a small number of glomeruli is
drawn. Selected arrangements of mOR37 glomeruli are
depicted, with each mOR37 gene corresponding to a single
glomerulus for the sake of clarity and simplicity. The A
glomerulus is placed centrally in the three most common situations.
A, mOR37A; B,
mOR37B; C,
mOR37C; a, anterior;
p, posterior; m, medial;
l, lateral.
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DISCUSSION |
Axonal projection patterns
This study confirms and extends the concept of glomerular
convergence that emerged from studies with indirect methods
demonstrating that axons from some OSNs converge to individual
glomeruli in mice (Ressler et al., 1993 ) and rats (Vassar et al., 1994 )
and subsequently from an alternative approach with a direct method that
permits the visualization of the axonal targets of all OSNs expressing
a defined OR gene, which was either P2 (Mombaerts et al.,
1996 ) or M72 (Zheng et al., 2000 ). The genetic strategy is applied in this paper to three additional OR genes. Interestingly, in
contrast to the two or more P2 glomeruli (Mombaerts et al., 1996 ; Wang et al., 1998 ; Royal and Key, 1999 ; Costanzo, 2000 ; Lin et
al., 2000 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ) or M72 glomeruli (Zheng et
al., 2000 ) observed in each bulb, axons of mOR37
subpopulations predominantly converge to a single glomerulus in each
bulb: thus, whereas at least four P2 or M72
glomeruli can be discerned per mouse, an mOR37 gene
corresponds to at least two glomeruli per mouse. This difference may be
attributed to the restricted pattern of mOR37-expressing
OSNs within the nasal cavity; for instance, they are not found on the
olfactory epithelium that covers the nasal septum.
Although the gross features of the glomerular array are conserved, at a
fine scale, the position of a specific type of glomerulus varies among
bulbs of different mice. Importantly and shown here for the first time,
variable interglomerular relationships are also the case among the two
bulbs from one individual (Fig.
7E,H), ruling out that the
genetic manipulation itself, genetic background variation, and
differences in olfactory experience may underlie the local
permutations. The variability in the glomerular array of the main
olfactory bulb, however, is much less pronounced and at a much finer
scale than in the accessory olfactory bulb in which we have not been
able to discern meaningful patterns (Rodriguez et al., 1999 ).
Interestingly, the numbers of glomeruli for individual mOR37
genes show independent variations; the frequencies of bulbs from double
mOR37-lacZ mice with two stained glomeruli are equal to the
products of the frequencies of bulbs with one stained glomerulus in
single mOR37-lacZ mice (Table 2). This finding may mean that these neuronal populations do not influence each other in a major way
and that the glomerular array can locally accommodate variations in the
total numbers of glomeruli.
We did not observe a correlation between the order of genes on the
chromosome and the spatial patterning of glomeruli in the bulb; whereas
the gene order is A-C-B, the A and C glomeruli, but not the B and C glomeruli, are usually
adjacent. Furthermore, the relative order of the glomeruli does not
correspond to that of the laminar patterning (A-B-C), eliminating a
simple coupling between laminar distribution and glomerular position.
Additionally, no obvious correlation was found between overall OR
sequence similarity and glomerular positions; mOR37B and mOR37C have
93% amino acid identity between each other, which is more than to
mOR37A (87%), yet their glomeruli are typically located the farthest
from each other.
More information is required to try to correlate OR sequences, genomic
locations, and glomerular positions. One study (Tsuboi et al., 1999 )
used the indirect method of in situ hybridization to
determine the position of glomeruli for five OR genes located in two
clusters. The glomeruli for OR genes of the same cluster are close to
each other, with the interglomerular distances showing some
variability. It must be noted that two confounding variables are
present in this and our study; the OR genes are clustered and are
highly homologous in sequence. It is thus not possible to distinguish
whether the clustering of glomeruli within a defined domain of the bulb
is the result of the genomic clustering of the OR genes or of their
sequence similarity.
Other species
Although the antennal lobes of insects contain fewer glomeruli,
the glomerular array also exhibits variability. The honeybee, for
instance, possesses between 156 and 166 glomeruli (Flanagan and Mercer,
1989 ). In the fruit fly, three-dimensional reconstructions of antennal
lobes resulted in the identification of 40 glomeruli according to four
criteria: shape, size, position, and intensity of antibody labeling
(Laissue et al., 1999 ). Three classes of glomeruli were distinguished:
22 "landmark" glomeruli that fulfill all four criteria, nine less
well demarcated glomeruli that deviate in a single criterion, and nine
poorly defined glomeruli that vary in more than one criterion. The
latter two classes of glomeruli are identifiable by comparison with
landmark neighbors (Laissue et al., 1999 ).
Zebrafish is the vertebrate species with the best characterized bulb
(Baier and Korsching, 1994 ). A typical bulb contains ~80 glomeruli,
of which 22 are identifiable by their characteristic position and
morphology. This pattern is said to be highly stereotyped. These
properties have facilitated the description of functional odor maps in
the zebrafish bulb (Friedrich and Korsching, 1997 , 1998 ).
Variability in the glomerular array
By analogy with the fruit fly (Laissue et al., 1999 ), glomeruli in
the mouse may also fall into multiple classes. The mOR37 glomeruli may belong to the classes of less-well demarcated or poorly
defined glomeruli, which may well comprise the bulk of glomeruli in the
mouse because of the much larger number of glomeruli (~1800).
Additional characterizations of P2-IRES-taulacZ mice have
revealed variations in the number of P2 glomeruli per bulb but to
various extents in different studies (Royal and Key, 1999 ; Costanzo,
2000 ; Lin et al., 2000 ; Zheng et al., 2000 ). In situ hybridization of M50 glomeruli also reveals multiple glomeruli in some
cases (Lin et al., 2000 ). Together, these analyses rely on the absolute
positions of glomeruli for a single OR. Qualitatively novel are the
variations in interglomerular relationships reported here, and these
findings were made possible by the pairwise analysis of two ORs with
closely appositioned glomeruli. We have made similar observations for a
pair of highly related OR genes, M71 and M72, relying on the same double-labeling approach (P. Feinstein, C. Zheng,
and P. Mombaerts, unpublished observations).
Our data do not challenge the concept that the arrangement of axonal
projections from the epithelium to the bulb is similar from animal to
animal. What is perhaps more remarkable is not the variability
described here but the highly recognizable pattern of positions of
OR-specific glomeruli within the olfactory bulb. mOR37
glomeruli, for instance, are grouped within a defined domain of the
bulb, which we estimate to encompass ~30 of the 2000 glomeruli, or a
mere ~1.5% of the surface area.
It is important to realize that the glomerular array is not distorted
in a global way when bulbs are compared but is rearranged when examined
in greater detail. Bulbs are not simply elongated or
compressed in one or more dimensions with regard to one
another, but nearest neighbor relationships between glomeruli vary qualitatively.
Implications of the local permutations
The developmental mechanisms that govern axonal convergence likely
underlie the local permutations. One interpretation is that, during
development, axons of OSNs expressing a given OR may project to a
rather broad area of the olfactory bulb and intermingle with axons of
OSNs expressing other ORs. We speculate that this broad area may occupy
~1.5% of the surface area of the bulb, in accordance with the
observed boundaries of the territory of mOR37 glomeruli in
the adult. We further speculate that, as a result of the coalescence of
neuropil into discrete glomeruli, the relative positions of the OR
glomeruli may occupy virtually any position within that territory as a
result of stochastic factors. It will be interesting to examine in
detail the coemergence of glomeruli for two differentially tagged
mOR37 genes during development. Our speculations are
supported by direct evidence for the coalescence of glomerular
structures from a broad locus, as described recently in
P2-IRES-taulacZ mice (Royal and Key, 1999 ).
We believe that the most important implication of the local
permutations is of a practical nature. Many of the earlier methods used
to describe odor maps are not performed at a scale of resolution that
would be hampered by the local permutations (Buck, 1996 ). There is now
a growing interest in single-glomerulus characterization of
odorant-evoked patterns of neural activity in the olfactory bulb, such
as by intrinsic signal imaging (Rubin and Katz, 1999 ). The compilation
of a functional atlas interrelating specific glomeruli, ORs, and
odorous ligands is a promising approach to olfactory coding. However,
the construction of odor maps at single-glomerulus resolution
could be seriously confounded by the local permutations; for instance,
it should not be surprising if the observed patterns are not
bilaterally symmetric. We propose that gene-targeted mouse strains of
the OR-IRES-tauGFP design may prove useful to compensate for
the problem of the local permutations. OR-specific glomeruli can be
visualized in these mice by vital methods, compatible with functional
imaging techniques. Other glomeruli may be characterized in
relationship to the labeled glomeruli. Thus, the same genetic approach
that permitted the unambiguous identification of local permutations may
also provide a solution to accommodate them when building odor maps.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
Received March 30, 2000; revised June 20, 2000; accepted July 6, 2000.
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Leibniz
Programm, European Community Project TRANS ERBBIO4 4CT 960593, and the
Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (all to J.S. and H.B.). P.F. was
supported by postdoctoral fellowships from Bristol Myers Squibb and the
National Institutes of Health. P.M. received grant support from the
Human Frontier Science Program and the National Institutes of Health,
and was an Alfred P. Sloan, Basil O'Connor, Guggenheim, Irma T. Hirschl, Klingenstein, McKnight, Rita Allen, and Searle Scholar or
Fellow. We thank Annemarie Walsh, Susan Powell-Hayre, and Ruben Peraza
of the Transgenic Service at The Rockefeller University for the
efficient generation of chimeric mice. Chen Zheng is acknowledged for
the IRES-tauGFP cassette, and Heiner Westphal for EIIa-Cre transgenic mice.
Correspondence should be addressed to Peter Mombaerts, The
Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021. E-mail: peter{at}mail.rockefeller.edu.
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