# Role of MCHR1 signaling in olfactory function

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2020 · $41,851

## Abstract

Project Summary
The sense of smell is critical for maintaining full human health and quality of life. Olfaction is a necessary sensory
function that allows us to sample our external environment, and subsequently make decisions regarding those
external stimuli. Physiological states, such as changes in satiety, can modulate our ability to perceive our
environment and are integrated into our system through the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a region of
brain with distinct neuronal populations that express neuropeptides which project throughout the brain and
promote feeding behaviors. Our hormone of interest is melanin concentrating hormone (MCH), an orexigenic
neuropeptide, synthesized by neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). These neurons project to numerous
areas within the brain, including the olfactory bulb (OB). MCH has been shown to contribute to the regulation of
several chemosensory driven behaviors, such as feeding and arousal. The pathway between the OB and the
lateral hypothalamus has been well established; however, the direct connection between MCH signaling and
olfactory function is understudied. In rodents, MCH binds a single receptor, melanin concentrating hormone
receptor 1 (MCHR1), a G protein-coupled receptor enriched in primary cilia. How MCHR1 contributes to olfactory
sensory processing in the OB and the importance of its location on the primary cilium has yet to be determined.
Our central hypothesis is MCHR1 signaling modulates mitral/tufted cell activity, and its localization to
primary cilia is essential for proper MCHR1 function. To explore how MCHR1 modulates olfactory behavior,
we will use olfactory assays to determine the effects of systemic MCHR1 and cilia loss on odor detection. In aim
1, we will use calcium imaging studies to determine the effect of MCHR1 loss on the response of mitral cells to
an odorant. Likewise, we will explore the effects of MCHR1 loss, both systemically and in the OB, on olfactory
function using olfactory detection assays. We will manipulate olfactory function during these assays to assess
the effects physiological states through food deprivation. In aim 2, I will use novel transgenic mouse strains to
study the interaction between MCHR1 and primary cilium. We will use the same calcium imaging studies to
assess mitral cell response in the absence of primary cilia on MCHR1 positive neurons. Additionally, we will
establish the effects of MCHR1 positive and OB specific cilia loss on olfactory function using olfactory detection
assays. These experiments will aid in us determining the importance of ciliary localization of MCHR1 in
modulating olfactory signaling. Together, the results from this project will provide insight into how MCHR1
signaling modulates olfactory function and address some of the molecular mechanisms for its action.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10156113
- **Project number:** 1F31DC019312-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Kalene R Jasso
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $41,851
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-28 → 2023-09-27

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10156113

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10156113, Role of MCHR1 signaling in olfactory function (1F31DC019312-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10156113. Licensed CC0.

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