Overview

• The peer-reviewed study, published in Stem Cell Reports (DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2025.102575), maps a mechanism that drives continuous neuron production in the olfactory epithelium.
• Researchers identify a bistable switch that directs progenitor cells toward divergent fates while promoting their self-organization into transient, spatially defined neighborhoods.
• Targeted experiments and modeling indicate mutual antagonism between Notch signaling and Insm1a, with responsiveness to retinoic acid signals arising from outside the olfactory tissue.
• Single-cell analyses and live tracking show differentiating cells migrating apically in response to BDNF to take up residence as mature sensory neurons.
• The work was performed in live zebrafish embryos, and the team plans comparative tests across vertebrates with long-term therapeutic exploration in mind, noting that human olfactory neurons renew every few months.