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Download article 		Title: CD36 is expressed in a defined subpopulation of neurons in the olfactory epithelium
Author: Xavier, André Machado; Glezer, Isaias; Ludwig, Raissa Guimarães; Nagai, Maíra Harume; De Almeida, Tiago Jonas; Watanabe, Hebe Mizuno; Hirata, Marcio Yukio; Rosenstock, Tatiana Rosado; Papes, Fabio; Malnic, Bettina
Year: 2016
Is part of: Scientific Reports, v. 6, p. 25507 -
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25507

Citation: Xavier, André Machado; Glezer, Isaias; Ludwig, Raissa Guimarães; Nagai, Maíra Harume; De Almeida, Tiago Jonas; Watanabe, Hebe Mizuno; Hirata, Marcio Yukio; Rosenstock, Tatiana Rosado; Papes, Fabio; Malnic, Bettina; CD36 is expressed in a defined subpopulation of neurons in the olfactory epithelium. Scientific Reports, v.6, p. 25507-, 2016

Abstract: The sensory neurons in the olfactory epithelium (OSNs) are equipped with a large repertoire of olfactory receptors and the associated signal transduction machinery. In addition to the canonical OSNs, which express odorant receptors (ORs), the epithelium contains specialized subpopulations of sensory neurons that can detect specific information from environmental cues and relay it to relevant neuronal circuitries. Here we describe a subpopulation of mature OSNs in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) which expresses CD36, a multifunctional receptor involved in a series of biological processes, including sensory perception of lipid ligands. The Cd36 expressing neurons coexpress markers of mature OSNs and are dispersed throughout the MOE. Unlike several ORs analyzed in our study, we found frequent coexpression of the OR Olfr287 in these neurons, suggesting that only a specific set of ORs may be coexpressed with CD36 in OSNs. We also show that CD36 is expressed in the cilia of OSNs, indicating a possible role in odorant detection. CD36-deficient mice display no signs of gross changes in the organization of the olfactory epithelium, but show impaired preference for a lipid mixture odor. Our results show that CD36-expressing neurons represent a distinct population of OSNs, which may have specific functions in olfaction.

Keywords: CD36; Olfaction; receptores; sistema olfativo;
Subjects: CIENCIAS_BIOLOGICAS; Genética Animal; CIENCIAS_BIOLOGICAS; Bioquímica; Biologia Molecular;

Funding: This work was supported by research grants to I.G. from Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP: 2007/53732-8) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq 484869/2012-4). I.G. is member of the CEPID Redoxoma (FAPESP 2013/07937-8). B.M. is supported by research grant from FAPESP (FAPESP11/51604-8). We are grateful to Darren Logan (University of Cambridge) for sharing unpublished data. We thank Umberto Crisafulli for assistance with OE cryosections, Daniela Gonzalez-Kristeller for providing the Olfr1507 plasmid, Thiago Seike Nakahara for providing several ORs plasmids, and Maria Christina W. Avellar for acquisitions of wide field microscope images. We also thank the technical support for confocal images acquisitions in Laboratorios Multiusuarios do INFAR-UNIFESP, and the staff of the animal facilities for excellent animal care. 		Financed by: