Projections of two subclasses of vomeronasal nerve fibers to the accessory olfactory bulb in the rabbit.

The organization of the projections of subclasses of vomeronasal nerve fibers to the accessory olfactory bulb was analysed using monoclonal antibodies generated against a homogenate of the rabbit olfactory bulb. Monoclonal antibody R2D5 labels all the somata of vomeronasal receptor cells in the vomeronasal organ as well as all their axons (vomeronasal nerve fibers). Another monoclonal antibody (R4B12), which has been shown to selectively bind and thus identify a subclass of olfactory nerve fibers, also labels a subclass of vomeronasal nerve fibers. The R4B12-positive subclass of vomeronasal nerve fibers project to the glomeruli in the rostrolateral part of the accessory olfactory bulb. The third monoclonal antibody (R5A10) recognizes a complementary subclass of vomeronasal nerve fibers projecting to the glomeruli in the caudomedial part of the accessory bulb. In contrast to the clearly segregated terminations in the accessory bulb, the two subclasses of vomeronasal nerve fibers are intermingled with each other in the vomeronasal nerve bundles. Retrograde labeling of vomeronasal receptor cell somata following injection of horseradish peroxidase within the rostrolateral (R4B12-positive) part of the accessory bulb indicates that vomeronasal receptor cells of this subtype are widely distributed in the vomeronasal sensory epithelium. These results demonstrate the heterogeneity of vomeronasal receptor cells and the specificity of projections arising from subclasses of vomeronasal nerve fibers to the accessory olfactory bulb.