Speaker: Irene Salinas Remiro, University of New Mexico professor in biology

Title: "T cell-mediated control of olfactory nerve homeostasis and function in zebrafish"

Abstract: Olfactory disorders impact one quarter of the adult US population, negatively impacting their quality of life. This number is much higher in immunodeficient individuals. The olfactory nerve is the shortest nerve in the body and a direct highway from the olfactory mucosa into the brain. Thus far, olfactory ensheathing cells and macrophages have been the main cells implicated in olfactory nerve homeostasis and responses to injury. My laboratory has identified the presence of a resident pool of mature T cells in the zebrafish olfactory nerve at the steady state. In my seminar I will present our unpublished data covering all our recent findings pertaining to the roles that T cells play in maintaining the olfactory nerve structure and function in healthy and inflammatory conditions.

Hosts: Raquel Espin Palazon and Clyde Campbell, assistant professors in genetics, development and cell biology