Immunohistochemical demonstration of salmon olfactory glutathione S-transferase class pi (N24) in the olfactory system of lacustrine sockeye salmon during ontogenesis and cell proliferation

In mammals, glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the olfactory epithelium is involved in assistance of the olfactory reception by the xenobiotic metabolism. We previously reported the protein and gene expressions of salmon olfactory GST class pi (soGST) in the olfactory receptor cells (ORCs) of the salmonid fish. However, the chronological appearances of soGST in ORCs during ontogeny and cell proliferation are still unknown in this species. In this study, we performed immunohistochemistry of soGST using an antibody specific to soGST in the olfactory system (olfactory placode, olfactory pit, olfactory epithelium, olfactory nerve and olfactory bulb) of lacustrine sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) embryos and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) experimental fish. The projection of olfactory nerve bundles from the olfactory pit to the presumptive olfactory bulb was identified at embryonic day 28 after fertilization. The olfactory cilia were first detected on the apical surface of ORCs at day 43. soGST-immunoreactivity was first detected within the olfactory pit cells at day 55. At 58 day, the number of soGST-immunoreactive cells increased markedly in the olfactory epithelia, and soGST-immunoreactive fibers were observed in the olfactory nerves and olfactory bulbs. By in vivo uptake of BrdU in 1-year-old fish, we observed for the first time at day 7 after labeling that the olfactory epithelia showed ORCs in which both soGST-immunoreactivity and BrdU coexisted. These results indicate that soGST is synthesized in the mature ORCs of lacustrine sockeye salmon after cell formation and differentiation.