OCEANUS SEMINAR SERIES | Ana Rocha | 18 Nov  | 11h30

 

Title: Implication of the melanocortin system in fish behaviour using the zebrafish as a model

 

Name: Ana Rocha

 

The melanocortin system is extremely complex. It is composed of agonists, antagonists, several receptors and accessory proteins. They are present in different tissues and participate in several physiological functions. The endogenous antagonist, Agouti-signaling protein (Asip1) binds Mc1r and Mc4r decreasing their constitutive activity this way regulating pigmentation and energy expenditure, respectively. Overexpression of Asip1 in zebrafish disrupts the dorso-ventral pigmentation pattern and enhances growth while not producing obesity. In this seminar, I will present evidence for an implication of the melacortin system in behaviour. We found that fish overexpressing Asip1, present higher level of anxiety-related behaviours, are less bold, have reduced exploratory behaviour and are less aggressive than wild type fish but they are not less active.

 

Free online webinar. To access please follow this LINK.