UC Irvine

In the mammalian olfactory epithelium (OE), proliferation of neuronal precursor cells and differentiation of their progeny into olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) are ongoing processes [1]. The OE is thus an ideal system for exploring how neurogenesis can control neuron number. There is also evidence that cell interactions regulate neurogenesis in the OE: Degeneration of ORNs following removal of the olfactory bulb (their central target) or lesioning of ORN axons leads to increased proliferation of neuronal precursor cells in the epithelium and subsequent production of new receptor neurons [2].