Functional identification of neuronal cells expressing CD36 receptor.

Abstract

CD36 membrane receptor is a glycoprotein found in several mammalian cell types.Its known functions are as diverse as: fatty acids internalization-transport, regulationof angiogenesis, platelet activity modulation and specific recognition of oxidizedlipoprotein and certain pathogen products. This receptor can also be involved inresponses to sensorial stimuli, because CD36 in rodents and its Drosophilamelanogaster homolog are involved in fatty diet preference and in a lipid pheromonesignaling, respectively. The presence of Cd36 transcript in neurons in the olfactoryepithelium (OE) and in central nervous system (CNS) was verified recently, but thefunction of this protein in these regions is currently unknown. This project aims toco-localize this receptor with specific neuronal markers characterized for the OE andthe relevant CNS regions. Mice that can not express CD36 (Cd36 Obl) will be usedin order to validate immunostaining and analyze the cytoarchitecture in the absenceof the receptor. These assays in combination with the molecule's cellular locationdetermination will represent a first step towards the establishment of the appropriateexperimental protocols to reveal CD36 neuronal function.