How does Foxj1 build smell-sensing cilia?
In zebrafish and mice, Foxj1 is required for olfactory epithelium formation and OSN differentiation; mutants lose olfactory cilia programs and show diminished bile-acid odor responses.
Source
The forkhead transcription factor Foxj1 controls vertebrate olfactory cilia biogenesis and sensory neuron differentiation
What they did
Examined Foxj1 expression and loss-of-function phenotypes in zebrafish and mouse OSNs, including transcriptomic and odor-response readouts, and compared motility-gene repression across zebrafish, mouse, and human OSNs.
What they found
Foxj1, classically a motile-cilia factor, is expressed in OSNs and required for OE formation. Motility genes are repressed in OSNs across species. Foxj1 also controls OSN differentiation genes such as omp; foxj1 mutant zebrafish have significantly diminished bile-acid responses.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Animal genetics do not by themselves map all human anosmia syndromes to Foxj1; exact downstream circuitry beyond highlighted targets remains incompletely charted.
Key terms
- Foxj1
- Forkhead transcription factor classically programming motile cilia.
- OSN
- Olfactory sensory neuron detecting odors via cilia.
- Olfactory cilia
- Immotile cilia on OSN dendritic knobs housing receptors.
- omp
- Olfactory marker protein gene tied to odor-evoked transduction.
- Anosmia
- Loss of smell, often linked to ciliary dysfunction.
Flashcards
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Quiz yourself
Foxj1’s classic textbook role is in:
Common questions
Models?
Zebrafish and mice (plus human OSN expression comparisons).
Classic Foxj1 role?
Motile cilia biogenesis — here repurposed for immotile olfactory cilia.
Beyond cilia?
Also controls OSN differentiation genes such as omp.
Functional readout?
Reduced bile-acid odor responses in foxj1 mutant zebrafish.
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