Transcriptional characterization of Pmch-expressing cells in the hypothalamus of lactating female mice (Mus musculus)

• Grant number: 18/04659-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: June 11, 2018
• End date: February 28, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology
• Principal Investigator: Jackson Cioni Bittencourt
• Grantee: Jozélia Gomes Pacheco Ferreira
• Supervisor: Alexander Jackson
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Connecticut (UCONN), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/05990-4 - The melanin-concentrating hormone [MCH] peptidergic system: neurogenesis and lactation, BP.PD

Abstract

Introduction: The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a neuropeptide associated with a lot of physiological actions located mainly in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). During lactation is possible to detect the MCH expressing cells (Pmch+) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a crucial region for maternal behavior expression. Whether the preoptic MCH neurons are similar to those located in the tuberal hypothalamus is unclear. As the preoptic MCH-immunoreactive cells are believed to act on a specific role, lactation, we expect to find at least some differences between tuberal and preoptic neurons. Aim: Draw the phenotypic profile of the Pmch+ cells of the preoptic hypothalamus of lactating female mice and compare it with that obtained from Pmch+ cells of the LHA. Materials and Methods: Genetically modified Pmch-EYFP+ female mice will be euthanized on the 19th day after delivery of their offspring through decapitation. Cells expressing the Pmch gene will be isolate using the Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) method and the phenotypic profile of the MPOA and LHA Pmch+ cells will be compared. (AU)