<p>Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), which detect a myriad of odorants, are known to express one allele of one olfactory receptor (OR) gene (Olfr) from the largest gene family in the mammalian genome. The OSNs expressing the same OR project their axons to the main olfactory bulb where they converge to form glomeruli. This “One neuron-one receptor rule” makes the olfactory epithelium (OE), which consists of a vast number of OSNs expressing unique ORs, one of the most heterogeneous cell populations. However, the mechanism of how the single OR allele is chosen remains unclear along with the question of whether one OSN only expresses a single OR gene, a hypothesis that has not been rigorously verified while we performed the experiments. Moreover, failure of axonal targeting to single glomerulus was observed in MeCP2 deficient OSNs where delayed development was proposed as an explanation for the phenotype. How Mecp2 mutation caused this aberrant targeting is not entirely understood.</p><p>In this dissertation, we explored the transcriptomes of single and mature OSNs by single-cell RNA-Seq to reveal their heterogeneity and further studied the OR gene expression from these isolated OSNs. The singularity of sequenced OSNs was ensured by the observation of monoallelic expression of X-linked genes from the hybrid samples from crosses between mice of different strains where strain-specific polymorphisms could be used to track the allelic origins of SNP-containing reads. The clustering of expression profiles from triplicates that originated from the same cell assured that the transcriptomic identities of OSNs were maintained through the experimental process. The average gene expression profiles of sequenced OSNs correlated well to the conventional transcriptome data of FACS-sorted Omp-positive cells, and the top-ranked expression of OR was conceded in the single-OSN transcriptomes. While exploring cellular diversity, in addition to OR genes, we revealed nearly 200 differentially expressed genes among the sequenced OSNs in this study. Among the 36 sequenced OSNs, eight cells (22.2%) showed multiple OR gene expression and the presences of additional ORs were not restricted to the neighbor loci that shared the transcriptional effect of the primary OR expression, suggesting that the “One neuron-one receptor rule” might not be strictly true at the transcription level. All of the inferable ORs, including additional co-expressed ORs, were shown to be monoallelic. Our sequencing of 21 Mecp2308 mutant OSNs, of which 62% expressed more than one OR genes, and the expression levels of the additional ORs were significantly higher than those in the wild-type, suggested that MeCP2 plays a role in the regulation of singular OR gene expression. Dual label in situ hybridization along with the sequence data revealed that dorsal and ventral ORs were co-expressed in the same Mecp2 mutant OSN, further implying that MeCP2 might be involved in regulation of OR territories in the OE. Our results suggested a new role of MeCP2 in OR gene choice and ratified that this multiple-OR expression caused by Mecp2 mutation did not accompany delayed OSN development that has been observed in the previous studies on the Mecp2 mutants.</p> / Dissertation

The olfactory system is a great model for studying regeneration due to the olfactory epithelium’s regenerative capability which makes it a potential a source of neural stem cells. The olfactory epithelium presents three types of cells: sustentacular cells which provide support and act as glial supporting cells; olfactory sensory neurons that are in charge of detecting odorant molecules in the air; and the stem cells that generated the aforementioned cell types. Olfactory sensory neurons are constantly dying and being replaced by new neurons originating from the stem cells that lie at the base of the olfactory epithelium. We have used an injury model that allows us to remove all the olfactory sensory neurons from the olfactory epithelium, via a single injection of methimazole. Then, at different timepoints after injury we measure the functional recovery of the olfactory epithelium by analyzing the expression of specific synaptic associated markers. Specifically, we analyzed the expression of synaptophysin, tyrosine hydroxylase, vesicular glutamate transporter 1, and vesicular glutamate transporter 2. Simultaneously, we measured glomerular size in order to serve as an indicator of anatomical recovery. Finally, we correlate these findings with previously generated data in the lab associated with functional recovery through behavior.

During embryonic development a variety of tissues and organs such as the lung, eye, and kidney are being formed. The generation of functional organs is regulated by reciprocal cell-cell interactions. Via the secretion of soluble molecules one type of cells affect the fate of their neighboring cells. A central issue in organogenesis is how a cell interprets such extrinsic signals and adopts a specific fate, and how the cell in response to this signal establishes reciprocal signaling. Transcription factors play a critical role in this process and my thesis focuses on the role of the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, Lhx2, in the development of three different organ systems, the liver, the hematopoietic system and the olfactory system. The liver is formed from endoderm of the ventral foregut and mesenchyme of the septum transversum (st) and its development depends upon signaling interactions between these two tissues. As the liver becomes a distinct organ it is colonized by hematopoietic cells and serves as hematopoietic organ until birth. The fetal liver provides a microenvironment that supports the expansion of the entire hematopoietic system (HS) including the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Liver development in Lhx2-/- embryos is disrupted leading to a lethal anemia due to insufficient support of hematopoiesis. To further investigate the role of Lhx2 in liver development I analyzed gene expression from the Lhx2 locus during liver development in wild-type and Lhx2-/- mice. Lhx2 is expressed in the liver associated st mesenchymal cells that become integrated in the liver and contribute to a subpopulation of hepatic stellate cells in adult liver. Lhx2 is not required for the formation of these mesenchymal cells, suggesting that the phenotype in Lhx2-/- livers is due to the presence of defective mesenchymal cells. The putative role of Lhx2 in the expansion of the HS was examined by introducing Lhx2 cDNA into embryonic stem cells differentiated in vitro. This approach allowed for the generation of immortalized multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) lines that share many characteristics with normal HSCs. The Lhx2-dependent generation of HSC-like cell lines suggests that Lhx2 plays a role in the maintenance and/or expansion of the HS. To isolate genes putatively linked to Lhx2 function, genes differentially expressed in the HPC lines were isolated using a cDNA subtraction approach. This allowed for the identification of a few genes putatively linked to Lhx2 function, as well as several stem cell-specific genes. The antagonist of Wnt signalling, Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), was identified in the former group of genes as it showed a similar expression pattern in the fetal liver, as that of Lhx2 and expression of Dkk-1 in fetal liver and in HPC lines appeared to be regulated by Lhx2. This suggests that Dkk-1 plays a role in liver development and/or HSC physiology during embryonic development. During development of the olfactory epithelium (OE) neuronal progenitors differentiate into mature olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that are individually specified into over a thousand different subpopulations, each expressing a unique odorant receptor (OR) gene. The expression of Lhx2 in olfactory neurons suggested a potential role for Lhx2 in the development of OSNs. To address this OE from Lhx2-/- and wild-type mice was compared. In the absence of functional Lhx2 neuronal differentiation was arrested prior to onset of OR expression. Lhx2 is thus required for the development of OSN progenitors into functional, individually specified OSNs. Thus, Lhx2 trigger a variety of cellular responses in different organ systems that play important roles in organ development in vivo and stem cell expansion in vitro.