Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V51
Höfundar / Authors: Fatich Mechmet (1), Alba Sabaté San José (1,#), Snævar Sigurðsson (2), Ingvi Gautsson (3), Eiríkur Steingrímsson (4), Pétur Henry Petersen (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Department of Anatomy, BioMedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, 2.School of Health Sciences, BioMedical Center, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland, 3.Utopia Arctica, Reykjavík, Iceland, 4.Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, BioMedical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland,#ULB Neuroscience Institute
Kynnir / Presenter: Pétur Henry Petersen
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a master transcription factor in melanocytes, crucial for their development and function, and also plays a role in other cell types, including retinal pigment epithelial cells, mast cells, and osteoclasts. In the central nervous system, MITF is expressed in olfactory bulb projection neurons (PNs)—mitral and tufted cells—critical for odor processing. MITF has been reported to regulate intrinsic homeostatic plasticity via the potassium channel subunit Kcnd3 (Kv4.3), but its broader neuronal role remains unclear. Here, we identified several putative MITF target genes in PNs using RNA-seq, single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH) and bioinformatic analyses. Genes were selected based on reduced expression in Mitf mutants, as genes positively regulated by MITF are expected to decrease, while inhibited genes may increase. smFISH validated reduced expression of these genes, including markers specific to middle tufted cells (mTCs), a tufted cell subcluster, in Mitf mutants. ChIP-seq and CUT&RUN in melanoma cells revealed MITF binding peaks in some of these genes. These results indicate that MITF may contribute to the generation, survival, and/or function of mTCs.