Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2021

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V55

Identifying Mitf target genes in the projection neurons of the olfactory bulb

Höfundar / Authors: Fatich Mechmet (1), Eiríkur Steingrímsson (2), Pétur Henry Petersen (1)

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Department of Anatomy, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, 2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland

Kynnir / Presenter: Fatich Mechmet

The olfactory bulb (OB) is the first relay center in the brain that mediates olfactory information processing in the central nervous system (CNS) and has well-defined and multi-layered neuronal subtypes. Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) encodes a member of the Myc supergene family of basic helix-loop-helix zipper (bHLH-Zip) transcription factors. Mitf is a master regulator of melanocyte cell fate. It regulates key genes for melanocyte development and differentiation and functions as an oncogene in melanoma. Interestingly, MITF has a distinct expression pattern in projection neurons of the OB, the mitral and tufted (M/T) cells. Although MITF target genes are well-known in melanoma, there is limited information available on the role and target genes of MITF in the CNS. Recently, our group has established the role of Mitf in the regulation of the expression of key potassium channel subunits showing its role in homeostatic intrinsic plasticity in OB neurons. The reduced expression of the potassium channel subunits results in hyperactive projection neurons in Mitf null mice. Neuroplasticity is regulated by neuronal activity and both are lost early in neurodegeneration. Therefore, understanding the role of the genes that affect neuroplasticity will uncover their contribution to the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. Here, we have used various approaches to identify potential MITF target genes in the projection neurons of the OB. The results from transcriptomic data analysis have shown large-scale changes in gene expression in the young Mitf null mice OB without and upon neuronal activity. In situ hybridization confirmed the expression changes of selected genes in different OB layers of mice. Our data supports Mitf playing an important role in regulating activity-dependent target genes in the OB.