Combinatorial rules of precursor specification underlying olfactory neuron diversity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sensory neuron diversity ensures optimal detection of the external world and is a hallmark of sensory systems. An extreme example is the olfactory system, as individual olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) adopt unique sensory identities by typically expressing a single receptor gene from a large genomic repertoire. In Drosophila, about 50 different ORN classes are generated from a field of precursor cells, giving rise to spatially restricted and distinct clusters of ORNs on the olfactory appendages. Developmental strategies spawning ORN diversity from an initially homogeneous population of precursors are largely unknown.

Results

Here we unravel the nested and binary logic of the combinatorial code that patterns the decision landscape of precursor states underlying O

SUBMITTER: Li Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4459592 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature