Summary
Previous studies aimed at elucidating day/night changes of pineal gland size and pinealocyte nuclear volume have yielded contradictory results. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the above parameters over a period of 10 successive days, at 6-hour intervals under a lighting regimen of LD 12∶12 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). It was found that changes in pineal gland volume could not be correlated with the light/dark phases; instead, a rhythm with a two-day period was encountered. Pinealocyte nuclear volume, by contrast, showed clear circadian changes, exhibiting troughs during photophase and peaks during scotophase.
In this experimental series, the karyometric results conformed to the melatonin forming rhythm in the rat pineal gland as reported in the literature.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arendt, J., Wirz-Justice, A., Bradtke, J.: Annual rhythm of serum melatonin in man. Neuroscience Letters7, 327–330 (1978).
Arendt, J., Wirz-Justice, A., Bradtke, J., Kornemark, M.: Long-term studies on immunoreactive human melatonin. Ann. Clin. Biochem.16, 307–312 (1979).
Axelrod, J., Wurtman, R. J., Snyder, S. H.: Control of hydroxyindole O-methyl-transferase activity in the rat pineal gland by environmental lighting. J. biol. Chem.240, 949–954 (1965).
Balemans, M. G. M., Bary, F. A. M., Legerstee, W. C., Van Benthem J.: Seasonal variations in HIOMT activity during the night in the pineal gland of 21 day old male Wistar rats. J. Neural Transm.49, 107–116 (1980).
Balemans, M. G. M., Pévet, P., Van Benthem, J., Haldar-Misra, C., Smith, I., Hendriks, H.: Day/night rhythmicity in the methylating capacities for different 5-hydroxyindoles in the pineal, the retina and the Harderian gland of the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) during the annual seasons. J. Neural Transm.56, 53–72 (1983).
Becker, U. G., Vollrath, L.: 24-Hour-variation of pineal gland volume, pinealocyte nuclear volume and mitotic activity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. J. Neural Transm.56, 211–221 (1983).
Binkley, S. A.: Pineal biochemistry: comparative aspects and circadian rhythms. In: The Pineal Gland, Vol. 1: Anatomy and Biochemistry (Reiter, R. J., ed.), pp. 155–172. Boca Raton: CRC Press. 1981.
Boeckmann, D.: Morphological investigation of the deep pineal of the rat. Cell Tissue Res.210, 283–294 (1980).
Börnert, D., Schuh, J., Tomaselli, C.: Die Analyse biologischer Rhythmen mittels Korrelationsfunktion und Power-Spektrum. Biol. Zentralbl.94, 3–16 (1975).
Brammer, G. L., Morley, J. E., Geller, E., Yuwiler, A., Hershman, J. M.: Hypo-thalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis interactions with pineal gland in the rat. Amer. J. Physiol.236, E416-E420 (1979).
Calb, M., Goldstein, R., Pavel, S.: Diurnal rhythm of vasotocin in the pineal of the male rat. Acta Endocrinol.84, 523–526 (1977).
Deguchi, T., Axelrod, J.: Induction and superinduction of serotonin N-acetyltransferase by adrenergic drugs and denervation in rat pineal organ. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.69, 2208–2211 (1972).
Diehl, B. J. M.: Time-related changes in size of nuclei of pinealocytes in rats. Cell Tissue Res.218, 427–438 (1981).
Halberg, F., Johnson, E. A., Nelson, W., Runge, W., Sothern, R.: Autorhythmometry-Procedures for physiologic self-measurements and their analysis. Physiol. Teacher1, 1–11 (1972).
Haug, H.: Leitfaden der mikroskopischen Technik. Mikroskopische, präparative und färberische Verfahren in der Histologie, p. 186. Stuttgart: G. Thieme. 1959.
Klein, D. G., Berg, G. R.: Pineal gland: Stimulation of melatonin production by norepinephrine involves cyclic AMP-mediated stimulation of N-acetyltransferase. Biochem. Psychopharmacol.3, 241–263 (1970).
Klein, D. C., Weller, J. L.: Indole metabolism in the pineal gland: a circadian rhythm in N-acetyltransferase. Science169, 1093–1095 (1970).
König, A., Meyer, A.: Tagesperiodische Schwankungen einer antidiuretischen Aktivität aus der Epiphysis cerebri ausgewachsener männlicher Ratten. Naturwissenschaften54, 93 (1967).
König, A., Meyer, A.: The effect of continuous illumination on the circadian rhythm of the antidiuretic activity of the rat pineal. J. Interdiscipl. Cycle Res.2, 255–262 (1971).
Matsushima, S., Morisawa, Y., Aida, I., Abe, K.: Circadian variations in pinealocytes of the Chinese hamster,Cricetulus griseus. A quantitative electron-microscopic study. Cell Tissue Res.228, 231–244 (1983).
McNulty, J. A., Dombrowski, T. A., Spurrier, W. A.: A seasonal study of pinealocytes in the 13-lined ground squirrel,Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. Reprod. Nutr. Dévelop.20, 665–672 (1980).
Merritt, J. H., Sulkowski, T. S.: Alterations of pineal gland biorhythms by N-methyl-3-piperidyl benzilate. J. Pharmacol, exp. Therap.166, 119–124 (1969).
Miller, L. P., Lovenberg, W.: A comparative analysis of the effect of actinomycin-D-α-amanitin and cordycepin on new RNA synthesis and N-acetyltransferase induction by isoproterenol in cultured rat pineals. Gen. Pharmacol.11, 497–501 (1980).
Mogler, R. K.-H.: Das endokrine System des syrischen Goldhamsters (Mesocricetus auratus auratus Waterhouse) unter Berücksichtigung des natürlichen und experimentellen Winterschlafs. Z. Morph. Ökol. Tiere47, 267–308 (1958).
Morrissey, J. J., Lovenberg, W.: Synthesis of RNA in the pineal gland during N-acetyltransferase induction. Biochem. Pharmacol.27, 551–555 (1978 a).
Morrissey, J. J., Lovenberg, W.: Synthesis of RNA in the pineal gland during N-acetyltransferase induction. The effects of actinomycin-D-α-amanitin and cordycepin. Biochem. Pharmacol.27, 557–562 (1978 b).
Nir, I., Hirschmann, N., Sulman, F. G.: Diurnal rhythms of pineal nucleic acids and protein. Neuroendocrinology7, 271–277 (1971).
Nováková, V., Sterc, J., Sandritter, W., Krecek, J.: The day-night differences in total RNA content of parenchymal cells of rat pineal gland. Beitr. Pathol.144, 211–215 (1971).
O'Donohue, T. L., Miller, R. L., Pendleton, R. C., Jacobowitz, D. M.: Demonstration of an endogenous circadian rhythm ofα-melanocyte stimulating hormone in the rat pineal gland. Brain Res.186, 145–155 (1980).
Peil, J., Orlick, M., Schlegel, T.: Korrelations- und korrelationsähnliche Verfahren zur Bestimmung von Periodenlängen. Nova Acta Leopoldina N. F.46, 525–541 (1977).
Pévet, P.: Pineal peptides in the fetus and in young and adult mammals. In: Melatonin Rhythm Generating System (Klein, D. C., ed.), pp. 155–181. Basel: Karger. 1982.
Quay, W. B.: Seasonal cycle of physiological correlates of pinealocyte nuclear and nucleolar diameters in the bats,Myotis lucifugus andMyotis sodalis. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.29, 369–375 (1976).
Quay, W. B., Renzoni, A.: Twenty-four-hour rhythms in the pineal mitotic activity and nuclear and nucleolar dimensions. Growth30, 315–324 (1966).
Ratliff, B., Miller, L. P., Lovenberg, W.: Ornithine decarboxylase: Apparent lack of involvement in the induction of N-acetyltransferase in rat pineal gland. Biochem. Pharmacol.28, 389–391 (1979).
Schotman, P., Allaart, J., Gispen, W. H.: Pineal protein synthesis is highly sensitive to ACTH-like neuropeptides. Brain Res.219, 121–135 (1981).
Vollrath, L.: Comparative morphology of the vertebrate pineal complex. Progr. Brain Res.52, 25–38 (1979).
Vollrath, L.: The Pineal Organ. In: Handbuch der mikroskopischen Anatomie des Menschen (Oksche, A., Vollrath, L., eds.), Vol. VI/7, pp. 28–29. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer. 1981.
Welker, H. A., Schühle, A., Vollrath, L.: Infradian rhythms of serotonin and serotonin-N-acetyltransferase in the pineal gland of male rats. J. Interdiscipl. Cycle Res.14, 273–283 (1983).
Welsh, M. G., Cameron, I. L., Reiter, R. J.: The pineal gland of the gerbil,Meriones unguiculatus. II. Morphometric analysis over a 24-hour period. Cell Tissue Res.204, 95–109 (1979).
Zatz, M., Romero, J. A., Axelrod, J.: Diurnal variation in the requirement for RNA synthesis in the induction of pineal N-acetyltransferase. Biochem. Pharmacol.25, 903–906 (1976).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Hermann Voss, Hamburg, on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within the Schwerpunktprogramm Neuroendokrinologie (grant Vo 135/6–7)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Diehl, B.J.M., Heidbüchel, U., Welker, H.A. et al. Day/night changes of pineal gland volume and pinealocyte nuclear size assessed over 10 consecutive days. J. Neural Transmission 60, 19–29 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254762
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254762