Höfundar:
Kristín Hekla Magnúsdóttir, Fatich Mechmet, Eiríkur Steingrímsson, Pétur Henry Petersen
Microphtalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), a basic-helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-Zip) transcription factor encoded by Mitf gene, is well-known as a master regulator of neural crest-derived melanocytes and plays role in the development and function of other cell types. MITF is also expressed in projection neurons (PNs), which are classified as mitral and tufted (M/T) neurons, in olfactory bulb (OB), the part of the brain involved in olfaction. Recently, MITF was linked to the regulation of the expression of innate immune genes (IIGs) in melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) and melanoblasts in mice. Interestingly, the expression of the same IIGs were increased in Mitf mutant (Mitf mi-vga9/mi-vga9) mice OBs compared to wild type in our global gene expression data (RNA-seq). Here, the aim is to confirm that the expression of IIGs is increased in Mitf mutant and conditional knock-out mice OB´s with qRT-PCR and to assess the cellular localization of expression within the OB using RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH). In line with RNA-seq data, primary results from gene expression analysis confirm an increase in the expression of IIGs in the OB of both mouse models. Our results provide evidence for a possible repressive role for MITF in the OB´s immune response.