RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Stem Cell Marker Lgr5 Defines a Subset of Postmitotic Neurons in the Olfactory Bulb
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 9403
OP 9414
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0500-17.2017
VO 37
IS 39
A1 Yiqun Yu
A1 Andrew H. Moberly
A1 Janardhan P. Bhattarai
A1 Chen Duan
A1 Qian Zheng
A1 Fangqi Li
A1 Hugh Huang
A1 William Olson
A1 Wenqin Luo
A1 Tieqiao Wen
A1 Hongmeng Yu
A1 Minghong Ma
YR 2017
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/37/39/9403.abstract
AB Lgr5, leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5, is a bona fide biomarker for stem cells in multiple tissues. Lgr5 is also expressed in the brain, but the identities and properties of these Lgr5+ cells are still elusive. Using an Lgr5-EGFP reporter mouse line, we found that, from early development to adulthood, Lgr5 is highly expressed in the olfactory bulb (OB), an area with ongoing neurogenesis. Immunostaining with stem cell, glial, and neuronal markers reveals that Lgr5 does not label stem cells in the OB but instead labels a heterogeneous population of neurons with preference in certain subtypes. Patch-clamp recordings in OB slices reveal that Lgr5-EGFP+ cells fire action potentials and display spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic events, indicating that these neurons are integrated into OB circuits. Interestingly, R-spondin 3, a potential ligand of Lgr5, is also expressed in the adult OB. Collectively, our data indicate that Lgr5-expressing cells in the OB are fully differentiated neurons and imply distinct roles of Lgr5 and its ligand in postmitotic cells.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Lgr5 (leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5) is a bona fide stem cell marker in many body organs. Here we report that Lgr5 is also highly expressed in the olfactory bulb (OB), the first relay station in the brain for processing odor information and one of the few neural structures that undergo continuous neurogenesis. Surprisingly, Lgr5 is not expressed in the OB stem cells, but instead in a few subtypes of terminally differentiated neurons, which are incorporated into the OB circuit. This study reveals that Lgr5+ cells in the brain represent a nonstem cell lineage, implying distinct roles of Lgr5 in postmitotic neurons.