THE CYTOSOLIC PHOSPHOPROTEIN STATHMIN IS EXPRESSED IN THE OLFACTORY SYSTEM OF THE ADULT-RAT

STATHMIN is a cytosolic protein expressed particularly in the developi ng nervous system, whose phosphorylation is correlated with the action of multiple extracellular stimuli regulating cell proliferation and d ifferentiation. In this study, we used an antibody that specifically r ecognizes the carboxyterminal region of stathmin to analyze the distri bution of this protein in the olfactory system of adult rats, and foun d a high and selective immunoreactivity in immature olfactory receptor s of the olfactory neuroepithelium and in cells of the rostral migrato ry stream. These results reveal an expression of stathmin in regions o f the adult nervous system characterized by striking structural plasti city and cell renewal, suggesting that this protein could play a role in the differentiation of newly generated cell populations.