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Abstract

 
Abstract No.:C-A3002
Country:Canada
  
Title:ROBO-2 IS CELL-AUTONOMOUSLY REQUIRED FOR ACCURATE TARGETING OF SUBSET OF OLFACTORY SENSORY NEURON AXONS TO THE OLFACTORY BULB
  
Authors/Affiliations:1 Jin hyung Cho*; 1 Manon Lépine; 1 Jean-Fançois Cloutier;
1 McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
  
Content:The formation of precise stereotypical connections in sensory systems is critical for detection and processing of signals from the environment. The development of the main olfactory system requires the formation of complex stereotypical connections between olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) located in the olfactory epithelium (OE) and second order neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB). The spatial segregation of OSNs into four zones within the OE is maintained at the level of their axonal projections within the OBs. Yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying the zonal segregation of OSN axons along the dorso-ventral axis of the OB are poorly understood. We have previously shown that Slit-1 and its receptor Robo-2 are required for the accurate targeting of zone 1 OSN axons to the dorsal region of the OB. Moreover, whether Robo-2 has an OSN-autonomous role in the targeting of these axons and whether Robo-2 can also control the targeting of axons projecting from OSNs located in other regions of the OE remained to be determined. To address these questions, we have ablated expression of Robo-2 specifically in OSN and have examined its effect on axonal targeting from OSNs located in Zone 1, 2 and 4 of the OE using mice with tau-LacZ reporter gene expressed by specific population of OSN present within different zones of the OE. Our results demonstrate that Robo-2 expression in OSNs is specifically required for the accurate dorso-ventral targeting of zone 1 and 2 OSN axons but not zone 4 OSN axons.
  
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