Structure and function of long-lived olfactory organotypic cultures from postnatal mice.

The first synapse in the olfactory pathway mediates a significant transfer of information given the restricted association of specific olfactory receptor neurons with specific glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. To understand better how this connection is made and what the functional capacities of the participating cells are, we created a long-lived culture system composed of olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb tissues. Using the roller tube method of culturing, we grew epithelium-bulb cocultures, explanted from 1-4-day-old Swiss Webster mice, on Aclar for periods ranging from 18 hr to 68 days. The explants flattened so that in some areas the culture was only a few cells thick, making individual cells distinguishable. From 107 cultures studied, we identified the following cell types by expression of specific markers (oldest culture expressing marker, days in vitro, DIV): olfactory receptor neurons (neural cell adhesion molecule, 42 DIV); mature receptor neurons (olfactory marker protein, 28 DIV); postmitotic olfactory receptor neurons and olfactory bulb neurons (beta-tubulin, 68 DIV); astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, glutamate/aspartate transporter, 68 DIV); olfactory horizontal basal cells (cytokeratin, 22 DIV). Neuronal processes formed glomeruli in 2-4-week-old cultures. We also recorded electro-olfactography responses to puffs of vapor collected over an odorant mixture containing ethyl butyrate, eugenol, (+) carvone, and (-) carvone from cultures as old as 21 DIV. These features of our olfactory culture system make this model useful for studying properties of immature and mature olfactory receptor neurons, pathfinding strategies of receptor axons, and mechanisms of information transfer in the olfactory glomerulus.

Member of the Ampakine class of memory enhancers prolongs the single channel open time of reconstituted AMPA receptors.

Ampakines are small benzamide compounds that allosterically produce the positive modulation of AMPA receptors and improve performance on a variety of behavioral tasks. To test if the native synaptic membrane is necessary for the effects of such positive modulators, the mechanism of action of the Ampakine 1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylcarbonyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (CX509) was investigated in isolated rat brain AMPA receptors reconstituted in lipid bilayers. The drug increased the open time of AMPA-induced single channel current fluctuations with an EC(50) of 4 microM. The action of CX509 was highly selective since it had no effect on the amplitude or close time of channel events. The open time effect had a maximum enhancement of 70-fold and the modulated currents were blocked by CNQX. It is concluded that the synaptic membrane environment is not necessary for Ampakine effects. In fact, CX509 was about 100 times more potent on the reconstituted AMPA receptors than on receptors in their native membrane. These findings indicate that centrally active Ampakines modulate specific kinetic properties of AMPA currents. They also raise the possibility that AMPA receptors are regulated by factors present in situ, thus explaining the more efficient modulatory effects of CX509 when acting on receptors removed from their synaptic location.

RGS2 regulates signal transduction in olfactory neurons by attenuating activation of adenylyl cyclase III.

The heterotrimeric G-protein Gs couples cell-surface receptors to the activation of adenylyl cyclases and cyclic AMP production (reviewed in refs 1, 2). RGS proteins, which act as GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) for the G-protein alpha-subunits alpha(i) and alpha(q), lack such activity for alpha(s) (refs 3-6). But several RGS proteins inhibit cAMP production by Gs-linked receptors. Here we report that RGS2 reduces cAMP production by odorant-stimulated olfactory epithelium membranes, in which the alpha(s) family member alpha(olf) links odorant receptors to adenylyl cyclase activation. Unexpectedly, RGS2 reduces odorant-elicited cAMP production, not by acting on alpha(olf) but by inhibiting the activity of adenylyl cyclase type III, the predominant adenylyl cyclase isoform in olfactory neurons. Furthermore, whole-cell voltage clamp recordings of odorant-stimulated olfactory neurons indicate that endogenous RGS2 negatively regulates odorant-evoked intracellular signalling. These results reveal a mechanism for controlling the activities of adenylyl cyclases, which probably contributes to the ability of olfactory neurons to discriminate odours.