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The olfactory receptor organs and their primary centers are classified into several types. The receptor organs are divided into fish-type olfactory epithelium (OE), mammal-type OE, middle chamber epithelium (MCE), lower chamber epithelium (LCE), recess epithelium, septal olfactory organ of Masera (SO), mammal-type vomeronasal organ (VNO) and snake-type VNO. The fish-type OE is observed in flatfish and lungfish, while the mammal-type OE is observed in amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The MCE and LCE are unique to Xenopus and turtles, respectively. The recess epithelium is unique to lungfish. The SO is observed only in mammals. The mammal-type VNO is widely observed in amphibians, lizards and mammals, while the snake-type VNO is unique to snakes. The VNO itself is absent in turtles and birds. The mammal-type OE, MCE, LCE and recess epithelium seem to be descendants of the fish-type OE that is derived from the putative primitive OE. The VNO may be derived from the recess epithelium or fish-type OE and differentiate into the mammal-type VNO and snake-type VNO. The primary olfactory centers are divided into mammal-type main olfactory bulbs (MOB), fish-type MOB and mammal-type accessory olfactory bulbs (AOB). The mammal-type MOB first appears in amphibians and succeeds to reptiles, birds and mammals. The fish-type MOB, which is unique to fish, may be the ancestor of the mammal-type MOB. The mammal-type AOB is observed in amphibians, lizards, snakes and mammals and may be the remnant of the fish-type MOB.
Fig. 1. Schematic drawings of the phylogenic tree of the vertebrates showing the presence (O)
or absence (X) of the vomeronasal organ. Modified after Sarnat and Netsky (1974) [Ref.
32]. Asterisks (*) indicate extinct taxa.
Fig. 6. Three nasal chambers in Xenopus laevis. Blue: upper chamber lined with the olfactory
epithelium. Green: middle chamber lined with the middle chamber epithelium. Red: lower
chamber lined with the vomeronasal sensory epithelium.
Fig. 7. The olfactory organ of lungfish stained with HE. (A) Sagittal section of the nasal
sac of the lungfish showing many lamellae hanging from the roof. Recesses (arrows) are
observed at the base of the lamellae and lined with the recess epithelium. A:
anterior, D: dorsal, P: posterior, V: ventral. (B) The lamellar olfactory epithelium
covering the lamellae. Neighboring lamellar olfactory epithelia are separated by
non-sensory epithelium (asterisk). BC: basal cell, ORC: olfactory receptor cell, SP:
supporting cell.
Fig. 8. Phylogeny of the olfactory receptor organs in vertebrates. CE: chamber epithelium,
OE: olfactory epithelium, SO: septal olfactory organ of Masera, VNO: vomeronasal
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