Autoradiographic and ultrastructural observations on the frog's olfactory mucosa.

Abstract

Autoradiographic techniques have been employed to study the cell turnover in the olfactory mucosa of frog. It has been established that basal cells of the olfactory epithelium divide and differentiate into mature neurons in adult animals. These findings prove that the olfactory neurons are replaced during the adult life. Supporting cells were also found to undergo turnover. The basal cells are indicated as the stem elements of both supporting and sensory cells as they undergo division and maturation processes leading to the replacement of both supporting and sensory cells.