β-Catenin Knockout in the Olfactory Bulb and Hippocampus Reveals Dual Roles in Olfactory Discrimination and Working Memory
4 affiliations
- 1School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- 2Center of Excellence for Brain Health and Neurotechnology, Academy of Life and Natural Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
- 3Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht University, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
- 4Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Atlas University, Istanbul 34408, Turkey
Abstract
Mice rely heavily on their sense of smell to provide crucial environmental information. The intricate organization of neural circuits within the olfactory bulb (OB) and the communication across the OB-hippocampus network in mice underpin their ability to discriminate and adapt to odors and perform odor-guided behaviors. Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been shown to regulate neural stem cell proliferation and migration during embryogenesis and adult neurogenesis. However, the potential role of β-catenin in adult OB and hippocampus in olfaction, odor-guided behavior and working memory is not known. Here, we report the unexpected expression of collagen, type X, alpha 1 (Col10a1), in the postnatal mouse OB and the hippocampus starting at approximately postnatal day 14. We exploited this finding to generate OB and hippocampus conditional Ctnnb1 knockout (Ctnnb1cKO) mice. We found Ctnnb1cKO mice displayed impaired odor habituation and discrimination abilities, whereas food foraging ability was unaffected. Surprisingly, Ctnnb1cKO mice displayed modestly improved working memory in the Radial Arm Maze test. Together, these findings identify behavioral phenotypes associated with Col10a1-Cre-driven Ctnnb1 deletion and establish this mouse line as a useful tool for studying β-catenin function in adult OB–hippocampal circuits.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026βcatenin,
title = {{β-Catenin Knockout in the Olfactory Bulb and Hippocampus Reveals Dual Roles in Olfactory Discrimination and Working Memory}},
author = {Yanzhi Liu and Mingpeng Kong and Hongkai Jin and Tsz Long Chu and Lee Wei Lim and Kathryn S. E. Cheah},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27208945},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/8945},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - β-Catenin Knockout in the Olfactory Bulb and Hippocampus Reveals Dual Roles in Olfactory Discrimination and Working Memory
AU - Yanzhi Liu
AU - Mingpeng Kong
AU - Hongkai Jin
AU - Tsz Long Chu
AU - Lee Wei Lim
AU - Kathryn S. E. Cheah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27208945
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/8945
AB - Mice rely heavily on their sense of smell to provide crucial environmental information. The intricate organization of neural circuits within the olfactory bulb (OB) and the communication across the OB-hippocampus network in mice underpin their ability to discriminate and adapt to odors and perform odor-guided behaviors. Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been shown to regulate neural stem cell proliferation and migration during embryogenesis and adult neurogenesis. However, the potential role of β-catenin in adult OB and hippocampus in olfaction, odor-guided behavior and working memory is not known. Here, we report the unexpected expression of collagen, type X, alpha 1 (Col10a1), in the postnatal mouse OB and the hippocampus starting at approximately postnatal day 14. We exploited this finding to generate OB and hippocampus conditional Ctnnb1 knockout (Ctnnb1cKO) mice. We found Ctnnb1cKO mice displayed impaired odor habituation and discrimination abilities, whereas food foraging ability was unaffected. Surprisingly, Ctnnb1cKO mice displayed modestly improved working memory in the Radial Arm Maze test. Together, these findings identify behavioral phenotypes associated with Col10a1-Cre-driven Ctnnb1 deletion and establish this mouse line as a useful tool for studying β-catenin function in adult OB–hippocampal circuits.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -