Ultrastructural properties of primary olfactory neurons in fish ( Lota lota L.)

• Published in: American Journal of Anatomy
• Main Authors: Gemne, Gösta, Døving, Kjell B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1969
• Subjects: Burbot; Lota lota; lota
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aja.1001260405; http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faja.1001260405; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Faja.1001260405; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aja.1001260405

Abstract Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the normal fine morphology of the olfactory receptor cells. their cilia, axons, and neighboring cells, were investigated in the burbot. The receptor cells lacked olfactory tubercles and microvilli; they were isolated from each other by supporting and basal cells. The role of cilia and microvilli in chemoreception was discussed. Zonulae occludentes between the epithelial cells sealed off the interior of the olfactory mucosa of this fresh water animal from an environment with low osmotic activity. The number of receptor cells was estimated to be about 73 per 1,000 μ 2 . Glial cell processes penetrated from the connective tissue, investing small bundles of receptor axons within the epithelium. Formation of the filum olfactorium was described. The average number of axons in the central portion of the olfactory nerve was about 29 per μ 2 in areas free of glial cells and connective tissue. The mean diameter of the axons in the nerve proper was 0.136 μ whereas a higher average was found beneath the epithelium. The presence of mitochondria imparted a considerable skewness to the distribution of diameters. The calculated total number of axons in the olfactory nerve corresponded with the number of receptor cells. The convergence of olfactory nerve fibers upon secondary neurons with myelinated axons was estimated to about 1,000:1.