Immunohistochemical characterization of human olfactory tissue

Abstract

Objectives/Hypothesis The pathophysiology underlying human olfactory disorders is poorly understood because biopsying the olfactory epithelium (OE) can be unrepresentative and extensive immunohistochemical analysis is lacking. Autopsy tissue enriches our grasp of normal and abnormal olfactory immunohistology and guides the sampling of the OE by biopsy. Furthermore, a comparison of the molecular phenotype of olfactory epithelial cells between rodents and humans will improve our ability to correlate human histopathology with olfactory dysfunction. Study Design An immunohistochemical analysis of human olfactory tissue using a comprehensive battery of proven antibodies. Methods Human olfactory mucosa obtained from 21 autopsy specimens was analyzed with immunohistochemistry. The position and extent of olfactory mucosa was assayed by staining whole mounts with neuronal markers. Sections of the OE were analyzed with an extensive group of antibodies directed against cytoskeletal proteins and transcription factors, as were surgical specimens from an esthesioneuroblastoma. Results Neuron-rich epithelium is always found inferior to the cribriform plate, even at advanced age, despite the interruptions in the neuroepithelial sheet caused by patchy respiratory metaplasia. The pattern of immunostaining with our antibody panel identifies two distinct types of basal cell progenitors in human OE similar to rodents. The panel also clarifies the complex composition of the esthesioneuroblastoma. Conclusion The extent of human olfactory mucosa at autopsy can easily be delineated as a function of age and neurological disease. The similarities in human vs. rodent OE will enable us to translate knowledge from experimental animals to humans and will extend our understanding of human olfactory pathophysiology.

Aberrant Pattern of Cytokeratin Expression in Olfactory Neuroblastoma: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall

“…1f). The CK18 immunostaining result was in accordance with the article of Holbrook et al [6]. The morphological and immunophenotypical features were consistent with the diagnosis of ONB, but with an aberrant expression of cytokeratins.…”

“…This latter being an important difference respect to Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (NEC) [1][2][3][4][5]. Furthermore another recent article by Holbrook et al [6] demonstrated that cytokeratin 18 (CK18) was positive in ONB separating tumor cells into nests.…”

Notch1 maintains dormancy of olfactory horizontal basal cells, a reserve neural stem cell

“…Nonetheless, our findings also have significant implications for the aging of the OE and olfactory dysfunction in the elderly. Despite the remarkable capacity for lifelong neurogenesis in the OE, we have previously demonstrated in both humans and mice that the aged OE has areas of aneuronal tissue, where the active GBC population has been exhausted and neurogenesis has ceased (67)(68)(69). However, the HBCs in this setting remain dormant and fail to regenerate the functional neuronal tissue, perhaps because Sus cells remain intact.…”

Intraoperative Hypertensive Crisis Due to a Catecholamine-Secreting Esthesioneuroblastoma

“…ASCL1 is essential for early development of neuronal progenitors in the olfactory epithelium and autonomic nervous system (12) . A few studies have investigated hASH1 in esthesioneuroblastoma (50,51,54) . In two of these studies, hASH1 transcripts were detected in 7 and 4 esthesioneuroblastoma tumors (50,51) ; in a third study, expression was seen by immunofluorescense staining (54) .…”