A Near Complete Zonal Map of Mouse Olfactory Receptors

In the mouse olfactory system, spatially regulated expression of > 1,000 olfactory receptors (ORs) - a phenomenon termed "zones" - forms a topological map in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE). However, the zones of most ORs are currently unknown. By sequencing mRNA of 12 isolated MOE pieces, we mapped out zonal information for 1,033 OR genes with an estimated accuracy of 0.3 zones, covering 81% of all intact OR genes and 99.4% of total OR mRNA abundance. Zones tend to vary gradually along chromosomes. We further identified putative non-OR genes that may exhibit zonal expression.