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BackgroundA recent study of obesity in Swedish men found that polymorphisms in the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3) are associated with obesity, suggesting the interesting possibility that AC3 may play a role in weight control. Therefore, we examined the weight of AC3 mice over an extended period of time.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe discovered that AC3−/− mice become obese as they age. Adult male AC3−/− mice are about 40% heavier than wild type male mice while female AC3−/− are 70% heavier. The additional weight of AC3−/− mice is due to increased fat mass and larger adipocytes. Before the onset of obesity, young AC3−/− mice exhibit reduced physical activity, increased food consumption, and leptin insensitivity. Surprisingly, the obesity of AC3−/− mice is not due to a loss of AC3 from white adipose and a decrease in lipolysis.Conclusions/SignificanceWe conclude that mice lacking AC3 exhibit obesity that is apparently caused by low locomotor activity, hyperphagia, and leptin insensitivity. The presence of AC3 in primary cilia of neurons of the hypothalamus suggests that cAMP signals generated by AC3 in the hypothalamus may play a critical role in regulation of body weight.

Terrestrial vertebrates have evolved two anatomically and mechanistically distinct chemosensory structures: the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO). Although it has been generally thought that pheromones are detected through the VNO, whereas other chemicals are sensed by the MOE, recent evidence suggests that some pheromones may be detected through the MOE. Odorant receptors in the MOE are coupled to the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3), an enzyme not expressed in the VNO. Consequently, odorants and pheromones do not elicit electrophysiological responses in the MOE of AC3 Ϫ/Ϫ mice, although VNO function is intact. Here we report that AC3 Ϫ/Ϫ mice cannot detect mouse milk, urine, or mouse pheromones. Inter-male aggressiveness and male sexual behaviors are absent in AC3 Ϫ/Ϫ mice. Furthermore, adenylyl cyclase activity in membranes prepared from the MOE of wild-type mice, but not AC3 Ϫ/Ϫ mice, is stimulated by 2-heptanone, a mouse pheromone. We conclude that signaling through AC3 in the MOE is obligatory for male sexual behavior, male-male aggressiveness, and the detection of some pheromones.

Type 3 adenylyl cyclase (Adcy3) is localized to the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) and is an essential component of the olfactory cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway. Although the role of this enzyme in odor detection and axonal projection in OSNs was previously characterized, researchers will still have to determine its function in the maturation of postnatal OSNs and olfactory cilium ultrastructure. Previous studies on newborns showed that the anatomic structure of the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of Adcy3 knockout mice (Adcy3-/-) is indistinguishable from that of their wild-type littermates (Adcy3+/+), whereas the architecture and associated composition of MOE are relatively underdeveloped at this early age. The full effects of sensory deprivation on OSNs may not also be exhibited in such age. In the present study, following a comparison of postnatal OSNs in seven-, 30-, and 90-day-old Adcy3-/- mice and wild-type controls (Adcy3+/+), we observed that the absence of Adcy3 leads to cumulative defects in the maturation of OSNs. Upon aging, Adcy3-/- OSNs exhibited increase in immature cells and reduction in mature cells along with elevated apoptosis levels. The density and ultrastructure of Adcy3-/- cilia were also disrupted in mice upon aging. Collectively, our results reveal an indispensable role of Adcy3 in postnatal maturation of OSNs and maintenance of olfactory cilium ultrastructure in mice through adulthood.

Mechanosensitive cells are essential for organisms to sense the external and internal environments, and a variety of molecules have been implicated as mechanical sensors. Here we report that odorant receptors (ORs), a large family of G protein-coupled receptors, underlie the responses to both chemical and mechanical stimuli in mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Genetic ablation of key signaling proteins in odor transduction or disruption of OR-G protein coupling eliminates mechanical responses. Curiously, OSNs expressing different OR types display significantly different responses to mechanical stimuli. Genetic swap of putatively mechanosensitive ORs abolishes or reduces mechanical responses of OSNs. Furthermore, ectopic expression of an OR restores mechanosensitivity in loss-of-function OSNs. Lastly, heterologous expression of an OR confers mechanosensitivity to its host cells. These results indicate that certain ORs are both necessary and sufficient to cause mechanical responses, revealing a previously unidentified mechanism for mechanotransduction. , but our understanding of the mechanical sensors is still limited. We previously discovered that some OSNs in the mammalian nose responded to mechanical stimulation (4), a feature that may allow the nose to carry an afferent signal of breathing to the brain and facilitate binding of orofacial sensation (5). In the current study, we aim to identify the mechanical sensor(s) and mechanotransduction pathway in OSNs.In mammals, smell perception depends on a large family of ORs expressed in OSNs. Out of a repertoire of >1,000 ORs (6, 7), each OSN expresses a single type, which determines its response profile and central target in the brain. Binding of odorant molecules with specific ORs activates the olfactory G protein G olf , which in turn activates type III adenylyl cyclase (ACIII). ACIII activation causes increased production of cAMP, which opens a cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (CNG) channel. The inward current via the CNG channel is further amplified by Cl − outflow through a calcium-activated Cl − channel. This transduction cascade leads to depolarization of OSNs, which fire action potentials carrying the odor information to the brain (8). OSNs expressing the same OR are scattered in one of the few broadly defined zones in the olfactory epithelium, but their axons typically converge onto a pair of glomeruli in the olfactory bulb (9).Here we report that disruption of the olfactory signal transduction cascade completely eliminates mechanical responses in OSNs. OSNs expressing different receptor types display differential responses to mechanical stimuli. For instance, I7, M71, and SR1 neurons have much stronger mechanical responses than MOR23 and mOR-EG neurons. Loss-of-function mutation of the I7 receptor, genetic switch of the M71 receptor, or ablation of the SR1 receptor, abolishes or dramatically reduces mechanical responses in the host OSNs. Furthermore, ectopic expression of the I7 receptor restores mechanosensitivity in loss-of-function mutant I7 cells. ...

Although primary cilia are found on neurons throughout the brain, their physiological function remains elusive. Human ciliopathies are associated with cognition defects and transgenic mice lacking proteins expressed in primary cilia exhibit defects in learning and memory. Recently, it was reported that mice lacking the G-protein coupling receptor somatostatin receptor-3 (SSTR3), a protein expressed predominately in the primary cilia of neurons, have defective memory for novel object recognition and lower cAMP levels in the brain. Since SSTR3 is coupled to regulation of adenylyl cyclase this suggests that adenylyl cyclase activity in primary cilia of CNS neurons may be critical for some forms of learning and memory. Because the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3) is expressed in primary cilia of hippocampal neurons, we examined AC3−/− mice for several forms of learning and memory. Here, we report that AC3−/− mice show no short-term memory for novel objects and fail to exhibit extinction of contextual fear conditioning. They also show impaired learning and memory for temporally dissociated passive avoidance (TDPA). Since AC3 is exclusively expressed in primary cilia we conclude that cAMP signals generated within primary cilia contribute to some forms of learning and memory including extinction of contextual fear conditioning.

ERK5 MAP kinase is highly expressed in the developing nervous system and has been implicated in promoting the survival of immature neurons in culture. However, its role in the development and function of the mammalian nervous system has not been established in vivo. Here, we report that conditional deletion of the erk5 gene in mouse neural stem cells during development reduces the number of GABAergic interneurons in the main olfactory bulb (OB). Our data suggest that this is due to a decrease in proliferation and an increase in apoptosis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and rostral migratory stream (RMS) of ERK5 mutant mice. Interestingly, ERK5 mutant mice have smaller OB and are impaired in odor discrimination between structurally similar odorants. We conclude that ERK5 is a novel signaling pathway regulating developmental OB neurogenesis and olfactory behavior.

Although chemosensory signals generated by mouse pups may trigger maternal behavior of females, the mechanism for detection of these signals has not been fully defined. As some odorant receptors are coupled to the type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3), we evaluated the role of AC3 for maternal behavior using AC3−/− female mice. Here, we report that maternal behavior is impaired in virgin and postpartum AC3−/− mice. Female AC3−/− mice failed the pup retrieval assay, did not construct well-defined nests, and did not exhibit maternal aggression. Furthermore, AC3−/− females could not detect odorants or pup urine in the odorant habituation test and were unable to detect pups by chemoreception. In contrast to wild-type mice, AC activity in main olfactory epithelium (MOE) preparations from AC3−/− female mice was not stimulated by odorants or pheromones. Moreover, odorants and pheromones did not evoke electro-olfactogram (EOG) responses in the MOE of AC3−/− female mice. We hypothesize that the detection of chemical signals that trigger maternal behavior in female mice depends upon AC3 in the MOE.