Analysis of Glycoproteins Produced by the Associated Gland in the Olfactory Organ of Lungfish

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  • NAKAMUTA Nobuaki
    Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020–8550, Japan United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501–1193, Japan
  • NAKAMUTA Shoko
    Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020–8550, Japan United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501–1193, Japan
  • TANIGUCHI Kazumi
    Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Towada, Aomori 034–8628, Japan
  • TANIGUCHI Kazuyuki
    Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020–8550, Japan United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501–1193, Japan

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Abstract

The olfactory organ of African lungfish, Protopterus annectens, contains two distinct sensory epithelia: the lamellar olfactory epithelium and the recess epithelium. These epithelia correspond to the olfactory epithelium and the vomeronasal organ of tetrapods, respectively. In contrast to the lamellar olfactory epithelium, which has no associated gland, the recess epithelium is equipped with associated glands. Although the glandular cells and/or the supporting cells are generally presumed to secrete proteins involved in the function of olfactory sensory epithelia, the properties of these proteins in lungfish have not been evaluated to date. In this study, we investigated the associated glands in the olfactory organ of lungfish by transmission electron microscopy and found that the glandular cells contain numerous secretory granules and secrete them from the apical membrane. In addition, we analyzed the olfactory organ by lectin histochemistry using 16 biotinylated lectins. All lectins labeled the secretory granules in the glandular cells with different staining patterns from those of the supporting cells in the lamellar olfactory epithelium or in the recess epithelium. Furthermore, lectin blotting analysis showed that multiple bands were detected by the lectins which specifically labeled the glandular epithelium of the olfactory organ. These results indicate that the secretory products of the associated glands in the recess epithelium have different properties from those of the supporting cells in the olfactory sensory epithelia and contain multiple glycoproteins with different carbohydrate moieties.

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