Author(s): Aiden McMaster
Mentor(s): Zoe Thompson
Institution UVU
Found in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) gene has a variety of products. Many of these products are hormones such as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (a-MSH), adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), beta-endorphin and beta-lipotrophin. These hormones have a variety of functions including processing of pain signals, steroidogenesis, skin pigmentation and regulating feeding behavior. Here we focus on the role of a-MSH in hunger regulation. The a-MSH hormone activates the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) to provide satiety signals and suppress hunger.  Deficiencies in POMC gene products have been linked to hyperphagia, obesity and infertility in humans. Studies on mice with POMC deficiencies have shown similar consequences.  Since POMC-deficient mice are suspected to be infertile, we want to better understand the effects of this gene on sociosexual behavior. We will gather data to track sociosexual behaviors of interest (SSBIs) of wildtype and homozygous POMC-deficient mice. We will do this by pairing mice in wildtype-wildtype, wildtype-homozygous and homozygous-homozygous pairs in an arena and recording their interactions over a 12-hour period. Selected SSBIs include anogenital sniffing, grasping, mounting behavior, and ejaculation, if present. Our hypothesis is that POMC-deficient mice will show fewer SSBIs than the wildtype mice. With this data, we hope to understand more about the infertility seen in POMC-deficient mice, which may inform our knowledge of POMC-deficiency in humans as well.Â