Odorant-dependent, spatially restricted induction of c-fos in the olfactory epithelium of the mouse

Volatile odorous chemicals are detected by around a thousand different G protein-coupled odorant receptors in the mouse. We demonstrated that exposure of the behaving mouse to odorant for a few minutes led to induction of the immediate early gene c-fos for several hours in a fraction of the olfactory sensory neurones in the nasal cavity. Associated with this odorant-specific induction event was activation of extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 that preceded increased c-fos expression. The distribution of odorant-activated neurones mimicked the scattered and spatially limited distribution of neurones expressing a single odorant receptor gene. A small change in odorant chemical structure caused a zonal shift in the spatial distribution of activated neurones, suggesting that the gene expression change resulted from specific receptor interaction. Repeated exposure to odorant or use of different concentrations did not change the pattern of c-fos induction. These results indicate that odorant-induced c-fos expression can be used to visualize odorant representations in the olfactory epithelium that reflect late cellular events regulated by adequate odorant receptor stimulation.