Abstract
Sub-populations of neurons producing melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) are characterized by distinct projection patterns, birthdates and CART/NK3 expression in rat. Evidence for such sub-populations has not been reported in other species. However, given that genetically engineered mouse lines are now commonly used as experimental models, a better characterization of the anatomy and morphofunctionnal organization of MCH system in this species is then necessary. Combining multiple immunohistochemistry experiments with in situ hybridization, tract tracing or BrdU injections, evidence supporting the hypothesis that rat and mouse MCH systems are not identical was obtained: sub-populations of MCH neurons also exist in mouse, but their relative abundance is different. Furthermore, divergences in the distribution of MCH axons were observed, in particular in the ventromedial hypothalamus. These differences suggest that rat and mouse MCH neurons are differentially involved in anatomical networks that control feeding and the sleep/wake cycle.
Highlights
The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) acts as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the mammalian brain and is involved in various responses related to energy homeostasis, reproduction, sleep/wake cycle and reward [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Using dual immunohistochemistry staining on these sections, we found that 60% of retrogradely labeled MCH neurons expressed CART (Table 2)
A region of the piriform cortex with similar characteristics was identified, but did not contain a MCH terminal field (Figure 8). In both rat and mouse, many MCH cell bodies are observed in the lateral hypothalamic area
Summary
The melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) acts as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the mammalian brain and is involved in various responses related to energy homeostasis, reproduction, sleep/wake cycle and reward [1,2,3,4,5,6] Neurons producing this peptide are situated in the caudal hypothalamus and adjacent zona incerta. The fine anatomy of the mouse MCH system is not known and little information exists on the CART expression and existence of sub-populations in murine MCH neurons. Such information is needed to provide sound interpretations of experimental studies in mouse models
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