Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Fatich Mechmet (1), Alba Sabaté San José (2), Snævar Sigurðsson (3), Ingvi Gautsson (1), Eiríkur Steingrímsson (4), Pétur Henry Petersen (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Department of Anatomy, BioMedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Vatnsmýrarvegur 16, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland, 2. ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Gosselies, Belgium, 3. School of Health Sciences, BioMedical Center, University of Iceland, Vatnsmýrarvegur 16, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland, 4. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, BioMedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 8, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland
Kynnir / Presenter: Fatich Mechmet
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is essential for the development and function of melanocytes and mast cells. Beyond these cell types, MITF is expressed in projection neurons, mitral and tufted (M/T) neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB), where it modulates plasticity through the Kcnd3/Kv4.3 potassium channel subunit. Recent research has revealed distinct subclusters within mitral (M1, M2, M3) and tufted neurons (T1, ET1, ET2, ET3, ET4). Our RNA-seq analysis showed reduced expression in middle tufted neurons (mTNs)-specific genes in Mitf mutant OBs, specifically those within the T1 subcluster, suggesting a role for MITF in these neurons. Fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) demonstrated decreased expression of Sgcg and Tspan10, in Mitf mutant mTNs; both genes contain MITF binding sites. The T1 subcluster gene Fam84b (Lratd2) is specifically expressed in mTNs of wild type mice according to Allen Brain Atlas and RNA-ISH for Fam84b in Mitf mutant OBs confirmed mTNs presence but at reduced expression levels. Although mTNs were still present in Mitf mutants, their number was reduced. This indicates selective effect on mTN-specific genes, rather than loss of a cellular type. Overexpressing MITF in neuronal cells increased Tspan10 expression, further supporting Tspan10 as a direct MITF target gene in the OB. These findings suggest that MITF plays a role in the development and/or function of mTNs and that Sgcg and Tspan10 are MITF target genes in mTNs.