Sensory
receptor neurons within the olfactory epithelium undergo continual
regeneration throughout the adult lifetimes of mammals. My PhD project
is concerned with the identification and characterization of the
putative olfactory stem cell, the proposed fount from which these
new neurons arise. Our hypothesis is that the olfactory stem cell
resides within a population of cells at the very base of the olfactory
epithelium, in close apposition to the basement membrane. These cells
are called horizontal basal cells, or HBCs. We are employing a strategy
which involves the systematic antigenic comparison of the olfactory
stem cell to those within the extensively studied epidermal, the
intestinal crypt and hematopoietic systems. An antibody screen of
selected stem cell markers revealed via immunohistochemistry that
HBCs express several adhesion molecules, all of which typically function
in policing the normal behaviour (i.e. proliferation, differentiation,
and survival) of stem cells in other systems. We are currently using
the HBCs distinct in vivo antigenic profile to isolate them clonally
in vitro, in order to test for hallmark stem cell criteria, such
as ability to self- renew and capacity to produce more differentiated
daughters. Finally, we are also keenly interested in how the olfactory
environment governs the behavior of these putative stem cells. Given
that these cells express key adhesion molecules and growth factor
receptors, we predict that they employ mechanisms akin to other stem
cell systems to control proliferation, cell fate determination, survival,
and differentiation.
I am currently supported by a Rick Hansen Neurotrauma
studentship.
Sensory
receptor neurons within the olfactory epithelium undergo continual
regeneration throughout the adult lifetimes of mammals. My PhD project
is concerned with the identification and characterization of the
putative olfactory stem cell, the proposed fount from which these
new neurons arise. Our hypothesis is that the olfactory stem cell
resides within a population of cells at the very base of the olfactory
epithelium, in close apposition to the basement membrane. These cells
are called horizontal basal cells, or HBCs. We are employing a strategy
which involves the systematic antigenic comparison of the olfactory
stem cell to those within the extensively studied epidermal, the
intestinal crypt and hematopoietic systems. An antibody screen of
selected stem cell markers revealed via immunohistochemistry that
HBCs express several adhesion molecules, all of which typically function
in policing the normal behaviour (i.e. proliferation, differentiation,
and survival) of stem cells in other systems. We are currently using
the HBCs distinct in vivo antigenic profile to isolate them clonally
in vitro, in order to test for hallmark stem cell criteria, such
as ability to self- renew and capacity to produce more differentiated
daughters. Finally, we are also keenly interested in how the olfactory
environment governs the behavior of these putative stem cells. Given
that these cells express key adhesion molecules and growth factor
receptors, we predict that they employ mechanisms akin to other stem
cell systems to control proliferation, cell fate determination, survival,
and differentiation.