TY - JOUR TI - Expression of galectin-1 in the mouse olfactory system. AU - Tenne-Brown, J AU - Puche, A C AU - Key, B T2 - The International Journal of Developmental Biology AB - Primary sensory olfactory axons arise from the olfactory neuroepithelium that lines the nasal cavity and then project via the olfactory nerve into the olfactory bulb. The beta-galactoside binding lectin, galectin-1, and its laminin ligand have been implicated in the growth of these axons along this pathway. In galectin-1 null mutant mice, a subpopulation of primary sensory olfactory axons fails to reach its targets in the olfactory bulb. In the present study we examined the spatiotemporal expression pattern of galectin-1 in normal mice in order to understand its role in the development of the olfactory nerve pathway. At E15.5, when olfactory axons have already contacted the olfactory bulb, galectin-1 was expressed in the cartilage and mesenchyme surrounding the nasal cavity but was absent from the olfactory neuroepithelium, nerve and bulb. Between E16.5 and birth galectin-1 began to be expressed by olfactory nerve ensheathing cells in the lamina propria of the neuroepithelium and nerve fibre layer. Galectin-1 was neither expressed by primary sensory neurons in the olfactory neuroepithelium nor by their axons in the olfactory nerve. Laminin, a galectin-1 ligand, also exhibited a similar expression pattern in the embryonic olfactory nerve pathway. Our results reveal that galectin-1 is dynamically expressed by glial elements within the nerve fibre layer during a discrete period in the developing olfactory nerve pathway. Previous studies have reported galectin-1 acts as a substrate adhesion molecule by cross-linking primary sensory olfactory neurons to laminin. Thus, the coordinate expression of galectin-1 and laminin in the embryonic nerve fibre layer suggests that these molecules support the adhesion and fasciculation of axons en route to their glomerular targets. PY - 1998 VL - 42 IS - 6 SP - 791 EP - 799 J2 - Int. J. Dev. Biol. LA - en SN - 0214-6282 SN - 1696-3547 UR - https://ijdb.ehu.eus/article/9727835 Y2 - 2024/11/05/21:55:03 ER -