The human nose contains anything from 10 to 30 million receptor cells which can recognize thousands of different smells. Nerve stem cells ensure that dead receptor cells are constantly replaced. However, these stem cells could also be used for medical purposes.
Background
In the olfactory epithelium located in the nasal cavity, smell receptor cells are constantly regenerated over a person’s lifetime. Olfactory stem cells are responsible for this and they are an ideal model to examine how stem cells are regulated. Furthermore, they are available in abundance and easily accessible - important preconditions for any later medical application.
These nerve stems cells could be used against a variety of ailments such as the loss of hearing and sight, Parkinson’s and stroke. However one of the challenges is that stem cells trans-planted in the brain do not assimilate very well and as a result rarely survive. To overcome this obstacle, this research project tries to get a better understanding of the stem cells’ direct surroundings because only in the right surroundings can stem cells perform their work as desired.
Aim
The aim is to study the different mechanisms which lead to old receptor cells dying and new ones being established. The project builds on the discovery of a particular cell type, the microvillar cells, which can recognize when smell receptor cells die. The microvillar cells pass this death notice on to the stem cells, which then begin to produce new smell cells. This projects aims at understanding how microvillar cells communicate with stem cells.
Significance
The project offers a possibility of investigating complex cell networks, which control the activity of stem cells. It should offer clues as to how nerve stem cells could be used for transplantations.
Original title: Molecular and cellular network regulating stem cell activity and neurogenesis in the olfactory epithelium
Grant: CHF 553‘228.-
Duration: 36 months
Project leader
- PD Dr. Irene Knüsel, Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Universität Zürich