Monoclonal antibody immunohistochemistry of degenerative and renewal patterns in rabbit olfactory receptor neurons following unilateral olfactory bulbectomy.

Degeneration and regeneration of olfactory receptor neurons were studied in adult rabbits by immunohistochemical procedures following unilateral olfactory bulbectomy. Staining patterns of the olfactory receptors of the lesioned side were compared with those of the intact side in the nasal septum at various postoperative periods (12h-6 months) following lesion. Monoclonal antibodies, produced against the rabbit olfactory bulb, were used as histochemical markers. A slight decrease in the number of olfactory receptor neurons occurred at 24 h after lesion. One monoclonal antibody 112D5 stained all receptor neurons including degenerating neurons, but the other 114G12 showed a rapid decrease in immunostaining so that 114G12-positive cells disappeared within 7 days after lesion. 114G12-positive cells reappeared at 4 weeks following lesion. By 3 months, 114G12-positive cells were arranged in a plane at the apical region of the superficial compartment of the receptor cell layer, suggesting a recapitulation of development pattern of the receptor neurons. Thereafter, the number of 114G12-positive cells increased progressively and the staining pattern of the olfactory epithelium was like that of control animals by 6 months. Monoclonal antibody 114G12 is thus the first marker that is not specific to olfactory neurons and can be used to characterize certain embryonic traits during the degeneration and regeneration of the olfactory epithelium in the adult mammal.