Odorant receptor gene expression in catfish taste tissue

ODORANT. receptor expression has been reported in a variety of non-olfactor y cells and tissues in several animal models. We therefore investigated the possible expression of odorant receptor genes in taste tissue of channel c atfish. Multiple odorant receptor transcripts were amplified by PCR from ba rbel. In situ hybridization showed that receptors amplified from taste tiss ue, as well as receptors amplified from olfactory neurons, hybridized to ta ste epithelium with similar patterns. These results show that odorant recep tor transcripts are expressed in catfish taste tissue. Taken with previous data, these results suggest that some members of the odorant receptor super family may mediate various chemoreceptive roles in non-olfactory cells. (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.