Melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) is a receptor which helps regulate appetite. Our lab had been utilizing a 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte line to study MCH signaling in a native environment. We hypothesized that the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line would provide a more suitable endogenously-expressing model system. To determine if SH-SY5Y cells expressed MCHR1 at detectable levels we immunostained cells for MCHR1. Negative controls showed no visible fluorescence, but stained cells had MCHR1 in punctuated dots, occasionally in circular patterns. We repeated this experiment and treated samples with 1 micromolar MCH. Although there was no obvious difference between treatments, we are working to quantify the patterning of MCHR-1 patches in these cells to determine if differences truly exist. The observed circular patterning may be important for MCH signaling. Future experiments will explore the function of this signaling pathway in SH-SY5Y cells and determine if MCHR1 clustering is crucial to receptor function.
| Presenter: | Bryan Pratt (Graduate Student) |
|---|---|
| Topic: | Biology |
| Location: | 217 Hartwell |
| Time: | 9:20 am Session I |
