Characterization of neuronal cell varieties migrating from the olfactory epithelium during prenatal development in the rat. Immunocytochemical study using antibodies against olfactory marker protein (OMP) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH).

The development of neurons located outside the olfactory epithelium was studied by using antisera against olfactory marker protein (OMP) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in the rat. The study was restricted to the localization of these cells in the nasal cavity and in the region of the olfactory bulb during development. We describe groups of cells that stain positively for OMP located principally on the ventro-lateral aspect of the olfactory bulbs. A comparison is made with the LH-RH-immunoreactive system of cells which predominate on the medial aspect following the known trajectory of the nervus terminalis. OMP-immunoreactive cells appeared along the course of the olfactory fibers when they were first detected at embryonic day 16. These cells became restricted to a small group above the cribriform plate, ventral to the olfactory bulbs that seemed to disappear shortly after birth. It is concluded that these cells, which like the LH-RH cells have most probably migrated from the olfactory placode, represent a group of intervening neurons between the olfactory receptor cells and the olfactory bulb, serving as hints for olfactory axons to reach their targets during prenatal development.