The cyto- and chemoarchitecture of the olfactory bulb of two monotremes (shortbeaked echidna and platypus) was studied to determine if there are any chemoarchitectural differences from therian mammals. Nissl staining in conjunction with enzyme reactivity for NADPH diaphorase, and immunoreactivity for calcium binding proteins (parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin), neuropeptide Y, tyrosine hydroxylase and non-phosphorylated neurofilament protein (SMI-32 antibody) were applied to the echidna. Material from platypus bulb was Nissl stained, immunoreacted for calretinin, or stained for NADPH diaphorase. In contrast to eutherians, no immunoreactivity for either the SMI-32 antibody or calretinin was found in the mitral or dispersed tufted cells of the monotremes and very few parvalbumin or calbindin immunoreactive neurons were found in the bulb of the echidna. On the other hand, immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase in the echidna was similar in distribution to that seen in therians, and periglomerular and granule cells showed similar patterns of calretinin immunoreactivity to eutherians. Multipolar neuropeptide Y immunoreactive neurons were confined to the deep granule cell layer and underlying white matter of the echidna bulb and NADPH diaphorase reactivity was found in occasional granule cells, fusiform and multipolar cells of the inner plexiform and granule cell layers, as well as underlying white matter. Unlike eutherians, no NPY immunoreactive or NADPH diaphorase reactive neurons were seen in the glomerular layer. The bulb of the echidna was comparable in volume to prosimians of similar body weight, and its constituent layers were highly folded. In conclusion, the monotreme olfactory bulb does not show any significant chemoarchitectural dissimilarities from eutheria, despite differences in mitral/tufted cell distribution.

Keywords:
Parvalbumin, Calbindin, Calretinin, Neurofilament protein, Echidna, Platypus
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