The melanin-concentrating hormone [MCH] peptidergic system: neurogenesis and lactation

• Grant number: 15/05990-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2015
• End date: June 20, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
• Grantee: Jozélia Gomes Pacheco Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/04659-0 - Transcriptional characterization of Pmch-expressing cells in the hypothalamus of lactating female mice (Mus musculus), BE.EP.PD 16/19845-9 - CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MELANIN-CONCENTRATING HORMONE RECEPTOR 1 (MCHR1) IN THE BRAIN, MAMMARY GLAND, UTERUS AND OVARIES IN WILD TYPE AND MCHR1 KNOCKOUT MICE., BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is an important neuropeptide, initially described as an orexigenic factor, but associated with a lot of physiological actions, especially in motivated behaviors. Exclusively during lactation is possible to detect the mRNA expression of prepro-MCH (ppMCH mRNA) and immunoreactivity to MCH in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), reaching its peak intensity around weaning age (22 days), and then disappear. As the MPOA is a region intensely related to the expression of maternal behavior, it is possible that the MCH plays a role in the development of lactation, although there is no known mechanism to describe this role. Objective: To investigate the action of the MCH and others factors involved in the development of lactation, by analyzing the total transcriptome MPOA neurons at different times of lactation. Materials and Methods: The MPOA of rats in different periods (diestrus, pregnancy, 5°, 12°, 19° days of lactation and 26°) will be dissected, total RNA and proteins will be extracted and subjected to RNA-Seq and Small RNA-Seq techniques to identify the total transcriptome of these animals, qRT-PCR will be used to validate the results and to evaluate genes of interest identified in the literature. Western blotting, ELISA, EIA experiments will be used for protein quantitation. Preliminary Results: The FosB transcription factor showed an expression pattern similar to the MCH, which may indicate a possible functional correlation between their expressions. Additionally, the transcript of prolactin was found exclusively in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) but not in the MPOA, indicating that the action of prolactin on MPOA do not have an autocrine or paracrine pattern. The expression of mRNA ppMCH corroborates the literature data obtained by in situ hybridization. Conclusion: The FosB showed different levels of expression throughout lactation, same as reported for the MCH. Additional studies are needed to determine which other transcripts are differentially expressed and their possible role in lactation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

GOBBO, DENISE RIBEIRO; PEREIRA, LAIS DA SILVA; PACHECO FERREIRA, JOZELIA GOMES; DE CASTRO HORTA-JUNIOR, JOSE ANCHIETA; BITTENCOURT, JACKSON CIONI; SA, SUSANA ISABEL. Effects of ovariectomy on the inputs from the medial nucleus of the amygdala to the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus in young adult rats. Neuroscience Letters, v. 746, FEB 16 2021. (16/02224-1, 10/52068-0, 15/05990-4)

BATTAGELLO, DANIELLA S.; LORENZON, ALINE R.; DINIZ, GIOVANNE B.; MOTTA-TEIXEIRA, LIVIA C.; KLEIN, MARIANNE O.; FERREIRA, JOZELIA G. P.; ARIAS, CARLOS M.; ADAMANTIDIS, ANTOINE; SITA, V, LUCIANE; CIPOLLA-NETO, JOSE; et al. The Rat Mammary Gland as a Novel Site of Expression of Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor 1 mRNA and Its Protein Immunoreactivity. FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY, v. 11, JUL 31 2020. (15/05990-4, 16/02748-0, 17/16293-8, 10/52068-0, 16/04210-8, 17/17998-5, 14/50457-0, 12/04554-8, 14/13052-1, 16/18941-4, 16/19845-9, 16/02224-1)

PACHECO FERREIRA, JOZELIA GOMES; BITTENCOURT, JACKSON CIONI; ADAMANTIDIS, ANTOINE. Melanin-concentrating hormone and sleep. CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY, v. 44, p. 152-158, JUN 2017. (16/19845-9, 10/52068-0, 04/13849-5, 15/05990-4)

PACHECO FERREIRA, JOZELIA GOMES; GOMES DUARTE, JESSICA CATHARINE; DINIZ, GIOVANNE BARONI; BITTENCOURT, JACKSON CIONI. Litter size determines the number of melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in the medial preoptic area of Sprague Dawley lactating dams. Physiology & Behavior, v. 181, p. 75-79, NOV 1 2017. (16/02224-1, 16/02748-0, 10/52068-0, 15/05990-4, 16/19845-9)

DINIZ, GIOVANNE B.; BATTAGELLO, DANIELLA S.; KLEIN, MARIANNE O.; BONO, BIANCA S. M.; FERREIRA, JOZELIA G. P.; MOTTA-TEIXEIRA, LIVIA C.; DUARTE, JESSICA C. G.; PRESSE, FRANCOISE; NAHON, JEAN-LOUIS; ADAMANTIDIS, ANTOINE; et al. Ciliary melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) is widely distributed in the murine CNS in a sex-independent manner. Journal of Neuroscience Research, v. 98, n. 10, JUN 2020. (15/05990-4, 16/02748-0, 17/16293-8, 17/17998-5, 16/18941-4, 16/19845-9, 16/02224-1, 14/22313-3)