| abstract |
A method of producing primary cultures of olfactory neurons which are purified from sustentacular cells and basal cells. The neuronal cells demonstrate responsiveness to physiologic levels of odorants and express Olfactory Marker Protein (OMP). The steps required to obtain the primary cultures are: 1. providing olfactory epithelium of an animal; 2. dissociation of neuronal cells using enzymatic digestion; 3. filtering using a mesh filter having a pore size between 10 and 25 microns to separate cell aggregates; 4. removal of the cell aggregates; and 5. plating the dissociated neuronal cells in a nutrient medium containing D-valine, Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), and other significant ingredients to obtain a culture of olfactory neurons. In addition to OMP the neurons are capable of expressing vimentin, neuron-specific enolase but not expressing glial fibrillary acidic proteins, S-100 protein, keratin, or neurofilament protein. |