p59fyn and pp60 c-src modulate axonal guidance in the developing mouse olfactory pathway

The Src-family tyrosine kinases p59^fyn and pp60^c-src are localized on axons of the mouse olfactory nerve during the initial stages of axonal growth, but their functional roles remain to be defined. To study the role of these kinases, we analyzed the trajectory of the olfactory nerve in E11.5 homozygous null mutant mice lacking single src or fyn genes and double mutants lacking both genes. Primary olfactory axons of single and double mutants exited the olfactory epithelium and projected toward the telencephalon, but displayed differences in fasciculation. The fyn-minus olfactory nerve had significantly more fascicles than the src-minus nerve. Most strikingly, the primary olfactory nerve of src/fyn double mutants showed the greatest degree of defasciculation. These defects, identified by NCAM labeling, were not due to apparent changes in the size of the olfactory epithelium. With the exception of the src-minus mice, which had fewer fascicles than the wild type, no obvious differences were observed in coalescence of vomeronasal axons from mutant mice. The mesenchyme of the double and single mutants exhibited only subtle changes in laminin and fibronectin staining, indicating that the adhesive environment of the mesenchyme may contribute in part to defects in fasciculation. The results suggest that signaling pathways mediated by p59^fyn and pp60^c-src contribute to the appropriate fasciculation of axons in the nascent olfactory system, and comprise partially compensatory mechanisms for axonal adhesion and guidance. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 36: 53–63, 1998