Daily Rhythms of Melatonin Binding Sites in the Rat Pars tuberalis and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei; Evidence for a Regulation of Melatonin Receptors by Melatonin Itself

1993 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Gauer ◽  
Mireille Masson-Pévet ◽  
Debra Jean Skene ◽  
Berthe Vivien-Roels ◽  
Paul Pévet
Keyword(s):  
Binding Sites ◽  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Pars Tuberalis ◽  
Suprachiasmatic Nuclei ◽  
Daily Rhythms

Characterization of melatonin receptors in the ram pars tuberalis: influence of light

1990 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Pelletier ◽  
Bertrand Castro ◽  
Georges Roblot ◽  
Renée Wylde ◽  
Marie-Madeleine de Reviers
Keyword(s):  
Median Eminence ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Scatchard Analysis ◽  
Pars Tuberalis

Abstract. The present study was conducted to assess the binding of [125I]melatonin to frozen unfixed sections of pars tuberalis/median eminence tissue from Ile-de-France rams exposed or not exposed to light before slaughter. The specificity of [125I]melatonin binding to the pars tuberalis tissue was revealed by autoradiography and the magnitude of binding as related to the pars tuberalis area was determined after incubation and counting of pars tuberalis/median eminence sections. Subsequent studies with sections incubated with [125I]melatonin indicated that 1. the binding sites were saturable; 2. binding was stable for 24 h at 20°C, but unstable at 28 or 37°C; 3. melatonin and [12 7I]melatonin had a similar potency to compete with [125I]melatonin for binding sites, whereas other ligands such as serotonin or N-acetylserotonin were devoid of activity, and 4. by Scatchard analysis, the constant affinity Ka was found to be high in the 1010 l/mol range. Rams exposed to light throughout the night prior to slaughter presented a significant increase in the apparent number of [125I]melatonin binding sites in comparison to animals maintained under darkness (2.25±0.30 vs 1.01±0.17 fmol/mm2 pars tuberalis, p<0.01), whereas Ka values were similar in both groups. These results indicate the presence of true melatonin receptors in the pars tuberalis of the ram. Furthermore, they suggest that their apparent number is light-dependent.

The development of melatonin-binding sites in the ovine fetus

1994 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
R J A Helliwell ◽  
L M Williams
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Pars Tuberalis ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Pars Distalis ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Fetal Sheep

Abstract The pineal hormone, melatonin, is important in the timing of seasonal reproduction in the sheep. Melatonin of maternal origin readily crosses the placenta; its function in the fetal sheep is, however, unclear. To gain an insight into the role of melatonin in ovine development we have identified specific melatonin receptors throughout gestation using 2-[125I]iodomelatonin and quantitative in vitro autoradiography. Specific binding was found at the earliest time studied at 30 days of gestation, over the developing thyroid (term=145 days). At 31 days of gestation specific labelling was found over the thyroid and pituitary glands, the spinal nerves, nasal cavity and developing bronchi. This binding was diminished by over 50% in the presence of 10−4 m GTPγS (an analogue of guanosine triphosphate) indicating that the 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding at this early stage of gestation represents a receptor coupled to a regulatory G-protein. By 40 days of gestation specific binding was found over the nasal epithelium, cochlear epithelium, regions of the brain, especially the hind brain and the vestibulocochlear and glossopharyngeal nerves, and both the pars distalis and pars tuberalis of the pituitary. As gestation proceeded, labelling over the pars distalis appeared to become more scattered in nature while that on the pars tuberalis remained consistent. Saturation studies of both the neuronal and pituitary binding sites at 121 days of gestation and in the newborn lamb revealed a single class of high-affinity binding sites with Kd values in the picomolar range. Also at 121 days of gestation, binding over the fetal pars tuberalis was diminished in a dose-dependent manner by GTPγS, again confirming that specific binding is indicative of a receptor coupled to a regulatory G-protein. These data demonstrate a potential for sensitivity to melatonin from early in gestation, as well as the developmentally specific expression of the melatonin receptor in certain tissues, and suggest a wider role for melatonin in ovine fetal development than previously considered. Journal of Endocrinology (1994) 142, 475–484

Melatonin-binding sites in the rat brain and pituitary mapped by in-vitro autoradiography

1989 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Rat Brain ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Area Postrema ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Pars Tuberalis ◽  
Lower Affinity ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
In Vitro Autoradiography

ABSTRACT Using picomolar concentrations of [125I]iodomelatonin and in-vitro autoradiography, specific melatonin-binding sites have been mapped in the rat brain and pituitary. Using this same technique, high-affinity melatonin receptors had previously been identified in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and median eminence regions of the rat hypothalamus. The presence of melatonin binding in the SCN has been confirmed, but the second area of binding has been identified as the pars tuberalis of the pituitary, and a completely novel area of binding is also reported in the area postrema. The existence of lower affinity melatonin receptors in the rat brain was also investigated using in-vitro autoradiography and higher concentrations of [125I]iodomelatonin. No further sites of specific binding were, however, disclosed.

Melatonin receptors in the suprachiasmatic nuclei and pars tuberalis of testosterone induced photoresponsive rats

1996 ◽  
Vol 214 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquín Recio ◽  
Paul Pévet ◽  
Jesús M. Míguez ◽  
Mireille Masson-Pévet
Keyword(s):  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Pars Tuberalis ◽  
Suprachiasmatic Nuclei

A carnivore species (Canis familiaris) expresses circadian melatonin rhythm in the peripheral blood and melatonin receptors in the brain

1994 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bojidar Stankov ◽  
Morten Møller ◽  
Valeria Lucini ◽  
Simona Capsoni ◽  
Franco Fraschini
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Melatonin Receptors ◽  
Pars Tuberalis ◽  
Pars Distalis ◽  
Melatonin Rhythm ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
The Brain

Stankov B, Møller, M, Lucini V, Capsoni S, Fraschini F. A carnivore species (Canis familiaris) expresses circadian melatonin rhythm in the peripheral blood and melatonin receptors in the brain. Eur J Endocrinol 1994;131:191–200. ISSN 0804–4643 Dogs kept under controlled photoperiodic conditions of 12 h light and 12 h dark expressed a clear diurnal melatonin rhythm in the peripheral blood, with a swift peak restricted to the late part of the scotophase. The highest density of high-affinity, G-protein-linked 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites was found in the pars tuberalis of the pituitary gland. Binding sites were found also in the pars distalis, and light microscopy/high-resolution autoradiography showed that binding was located exclusively over the chromophobe and basophilic cells forming the adenopituitary zona tuberalis, well developed in this species, and extending into the gland as a continuation of pars tuberalis. Cords of basophilic cells located in the pars distalis proper also expressed high receptor density. The eosinophils in the adenohypophysis and the neural lobe were devoid of binding. Heavily labeled were the external laminar and the mitral cell layers of the olfactory bulbs, but no binding was detected in the filae nervi olfactorii or tractus olfactorius. The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei were discernible clearly. Quantitative autoradiography inhibition experiments revealed that the apparent melatonin inhibitory constant (ic50) in all those areas was around 0.1 nmol/l, which is a physiologically appropriate value considering the peripheral blood melatonin levels. Co-incubation with guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPΓS) led to a consequential decrease in the binding density. The specific binding observed in other areas (hippocampus, frontal, parietal, occipital cortex and cerebellum) was rather weak, diffuse and could not be attributed to a particular layer; the apparent ic50 for melatonin was about 1 μmol/l, and co-incubation with GTPΓS did not modify the binding density. Collectively, these data show that the dog posesses all the prerequisites for an efficient network adapted to photoperiodic time measurements. A circadian melatonin signal in the peripheral blood and an apparently functional readout receptor system located in key positions within the brain are both present in this species. Bojidar Stankov, Chair of Chemotherapy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Milan, 32 Via Vanvitelli, 20129 Milano, Italy

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