The main olfactory epithelium of the mouse is a mosaic of 2000 populations of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Each population expresses one allele of one of the 1000 intact odorant receptor (OR) genes. An OSN projects a single unbranched axon to a single glomerulus, from an array of 1600-1800 glomeruli in the main olfactory bulb. Within a glomerulus the OSN axon synapses with the dendrites of second-order neurons and interneurons. Axons of OSNs that express the same OR project to the same glomeruli-typically one glomerulus per half-bulb and thus four glomeruli per mouse. These glomeruli are located at characteristic positions within the glomerular layer of the bulb. ORs determine both the odorant response profile of the OSN and the projection of its axon to a specific glomerulus. I focus on genetic approaches to the axonal wiring problem, particularly on how ORs may function in axonal wiring.

中文翻译：

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小鼠嗅觉系统中的轴突接线。

小鼠的主要嗅觉上皮细胞是2000个嗅觉感觉神经元（OSNs）的镶嵌体。每个群体都表达1000个完整气味受体（OR）基因之一的一个等位基因。OSN从主嗅球中的1600-1800肾小球阵列将单个未分支的轴突投射到单个肾小球。在肾小球内，OSN轴突与二阶神经元和中间神经元的树突突触。表达相同OR的OSN轴突投射到相同的肾小球上-通常每个半球一个肾小球，因此每个小鼠四个肾小球。这些肾小球位于灯泡的肾小球层内的特征位置。OR既确定OSN的气味响应曲线，又确定其轴突向特定肾小球的投射。我专注于解决轴突接线问题的遗传方法，