Globosal Basal Cells are Identified as Proliferating Cells in Mouse Olfactory Epithelium

Although anti-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) antibodies are used for detecting proliferating cells, they may stain proliferating cells in phases following the S-phase, except for G1. Anti-Ki67 antibodies are widely used for detecting proliferating cells in all phases of the cell cycle (G1-, S-, G2-, and m-phase), but not in resting cells (GO-phase). Anti—cyclin D1 antibodies are used to detect proliferating cells in the G1-phase. The present study investigated the olfactory epithelium of mice by double immunostaining using antibodies to BrdU, Ki67, cyclin D1, and cytokeratin 14 (CK14). The cells positive to the anti-BrdU antibody, the anti-Ki67 antibody, and the anti—cyclin D1 antibody differed from the cells positive to the anti-CK14 antibody. Thus, we confirmed that the proliferating cells in all the phases of the cell cycle, including the G1 -phase, were globosal basal cells, which were the precursors of the olfactory cells.