Apoptotic death of olfactory sensory neurons in the adult rat.

Olfactory sensory neurons only live for about 1 month in most mammals. It is not fully understood whether the short life span of these neurons is due to necrotic death, or if these cells die by apoptosis. One characteristic of cells undergoing apoptotic cell death is internucleosomal DNA-fragmentation. We have used TdT-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) to detect cells undergoing DNA-fragmentation in situ. In the intact olfactory epithelium of adult rats a subpopulation of basal immature neuronal progenitor cells, as well as mature olfactory sensory neurons, showed DNA-fragmentation. The number of TUNEL-labeled neurons increased dramatically 1.5 days after transection of the fila olfactoria and declined to control levels by Day 4 after the injury. In order to relate DNA-fragmentation to ultrastructural characteristics of apoptosis we modified the TUNEL-labeling protocol to enable studies of TUNEL-labeled cells in the electron microscope. This confirmed that TUNEL-labeled neurons showed morphological characteristics of apoptosis. The data provide evidence for apoptotic death of neurons in the adult mammalian nervous system. The turnover of olfactory sensory neurons is, at least in part, regulated by apoptosis and disruption of the contact with the olfactory bulb results in massive apoptotic death of neurons in the olfactory epithelium.