A possible functional necklace formed by placental antigen X-P2-immunoreactive and intensely acetylcholinesterase-reactive (PAX/IAE) glomerular complexes in the rat olfactory bulb.

The relationship between placental antigen X-P2 (PAX)-immunoreactive glomeruli and intensely acetylcholinesterase-reactive (IAE) patchy regions was evaluated by comparison of neighboring cryostat sections of the rat olfactory bulb. Both groups of distribution show similar necklace patterns. Each IAE region consists of heterologous glomerulus-like structures with variable acetylcholinesterase reactivity: strongly and less-reactive (IAE-S and IAE-L) structures. The PAX-immunoreactive glomeruli were detected as parts of the IAE-L portions. Three heterologous PAX/IAE glomeruli or glomerulus-like structures (IAE-S, IAE-L/PAX and IAE-L/non-PAX structures) locally form a distinct glomerular complex, the 'PAX/IAE glomerular complex'. At the caudal end of the main olfactory bulb, nine to sixteen such complexes occur at intervals and form a circumferential 'necklace'. Since one of them corresponds to the 'modified glomerular complex' involved in rat suckling behavior, the entire 'necklace' may be associated with processing olfactory stimuli eliciting or suppressing the suckling response.