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. 2023 Feb 23:16:1038341.
doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1038341. eCollection 2023.

Melanocortin receptor 3 and 4 mRNA expression in the adult female Syrian hamster brain

Megan A L Hall  1 , Abigail L Kohut-Jackson  1 , Anna C Peyla  1 , Gloria D Friedman  1 , Nicole J Simco  1 , Johnathan M Borland  1 , Robert L Meisel  1
Affiliations

Melanocortin receptor 3 and 4 mRNA expression in the adult female Syrian hamster brain

Megan A L Hall et al. Front Mol Neurosci. .

Abstract

Melanocortin 3 receptors (MC3R) and melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) are vital in regulating a variety of functions across many species. For example, the dysregulation of these receptors results in obesity and dysfunction in sexual behaviors. Only a handful of studies have mapped the expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA across the central nervous system, with the primary focus on mice and rats. Because Syrian hamsters are valuable models for functions regulated by melanocortin receptors, our current study maps the distribution of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the Syrian hamster telencephalon, diencephalon, and midbrain using RNAscope. We found that the expression of MC3R mRNA was lowest in the telencephalon and greatest in the diencephalon, whereas the expression of MC4R mRNA was greatest in the midbrain. A comparison of these findings to previous studies found that MC3R and MC4R expression is similar in some brain regions across species and divergent in others. In addition, our study identifies novel brain regions for the expression of MC3Rs and MC4Rs, and identifies cells that co-express bothMC3 and MC4 receptors within certain brain regions.

Keywords: CNS distribution; Syrian hamster; energy homeostasis; in-situ hybridization (RNA-ISH); melanocortin-3 receptor; melanocortin-4 receptor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The number of cells that express MC3R mRNA (blue left-hand bar for each pair) and MC4R mRNA (red right-hand bar for each pair) in the regions of the (A) telencephalon, (B) diencephalon, and (C) midbrain. Each symbol indicates a section of the region from each subject. Circles indicate counts from subject one. Squares indicate counts from subject two. Triangles indicate counts from subject three. Diamonds indicate counts from subject four.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the IL and the PrL. For this and remaining figures: Coronal sections were used to estimate the expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA (2–4 sections/hamster) using RNAscope. A schematic diagram outlining each region is shown on the left, followed by a representative RNAscope image on the right. Red overlay in the schematic depicts the general area of MC4R mRNA expression. Yellow overlay in the schematic depicts the general area of MC3R and MC4R mRNA expression. Blue overlay in the schematic depicts the general area of MC3R mRNA expression. Red labeling depicts MC4R mRNA. Blue labeling depicts MC3R mRNA. Created with BioRender.com
Figure 3
Figure 3
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the dorsal, the lateral, and the medial CPu (dCPu, lCPu, and mCPu), the NAc core and shell (NAcc and NAcs), and the OT.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the LS, the MS, and the BNST.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the Dorsal CA1, Dorsal CA2, DEn, and MePD.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the MPOA and the PVN.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the LHb and the MD.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the VMH and the ARC.
Figure 9
Figure 9
. The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the Ventral CA1 region of the hippocampus and the PAG.
Figure 10
Figure 10
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the BIC and the VTA.
Figure 11
Figure 11
The expression of MC3R and MC4R mRNA in the DRN.
Figure 12
Figure 12
On the left: a colocalization graph illustrating the number of cells that co-express MC3R and MC4R mRNA in select brain regions. On the right: a colocalization percentage graph illustrating the percentage of cells that co-express MC3R and MC4R mRNA in select brain regions. Bars indicate the average number or percentage of cells that co-expressed MC3R and MC4R mRNA. Circles indicate counts from subject one. Squares indicate counts from subject two. Triangles indicate counts from subject three. Diamonds indicate counts from subject four.
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