Summary
Using quantitative autoradiography, we have studied the influence of maternal plasma melatonin on the expression and density of melatonin receptors in the brain and pituitary of rat offspring. At birth, the same structures displayed melatonin receptors whether the rats were born to and reared by intact or pinealectomized dams. The receptor density was, however, about 20% lower in the group born to pinealectomized dams. At postnatal day 9, when the pups of both groups synthetize rhythmically their own melatonin, this difference was suppressed. These results indicate that melatonin does not appear to be a requirement for the expression of its receptors, but seems to play a stimulatory role in their synthesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Binkley S, Geller E (1975) Pineal enzymes in chickens: development of daily rhythmicity. Gen Comp Endocrinol 108: 424–429
Bittman EL, Dempsey RJ, Karsch FJ (1983) Pineal melatonin secretion drives the reproductive response to daylength in the ewe. Endocrinology 113: 2276–2283
Brown GM, Seggie J, Grota JL (1985) Nightly duration of pineal melatonin secretion determines the reproduction response to inhibitory daylength in the ewe. Biol Reprod 41: 31–35
Carlson LL, Weaver DR, Reppert SM (1991) Melatonin receptors and signal transduction during development in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Dev Brain Res 59: 83–88
Chong NWS, Sugden D (1992) The ontogeny of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in chicken brain. Neurosci Lett 138: 37–40
Cornett LE, Breckindridge SM, Koike TI (1989) Induction of V2 receptors in renal medulla of homozygous Brattleboro rats by arginine vasopressin. Peptides 10(5): 985–991
Durand Ph, Locatelli A (1980) Up regulation of corticotrophin receptors by ACTH1−24 in normal and hypophysectomized rabbits. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 96: 447–456
Gauer F, Masson-Pévet M, Pévet P (1992) Pinealectomy and constant illumination increase the density of melatonin binding sites in the pars tuberalis of rodents. Brain Res 575: 32–38
Gauer F, Masson-Pévet M, Pévet P (1994) Effects of short and long term pinealectomy on the density of melatonin receptors in the suprachiasmatic nuclei and pars tuberalis of the rat. J Pineal Res 16: 73–76
Iuvone PM (1990) Development of melatonin sythesis in chicken retina: regulation of serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity by light, circadian oscillators and cyclic AMP. J Neurochem 54: 1562–1568
Jia XC, Hsueh AJW (1984) Homologous regulation of hormone receptors: luteinizing hormone inceases its own receptors in cultured rat granulosa cells. Endocrinology 115: 2433–2439
Karsch FJ, Bittman EL, Foster DL, Goodman RL, Legan SJ, Robinson JE (1984) Neuroendocrine basis of seasonal reproduction. Rec Prog Horm Res 40: 185–232
Klein DC (1972) Evidence for the placental transfer of3H-acetyl-melatonin. Nature New Biol 237: 111–118
Knazek RA, Liu SC, Gullino PM (1977) Induction of lactogenic binding sites in the liver of the Snell dwarf mouse. Endocrinology 101: 50–58
Laitinen JT, Flugge G, Saavedra JM (1990) Characterization of melatonin receptors in the rat area postrema: modulation of affinty with cations and guanine nucleotides. Neuroendocrinology 51: 619–624
Laitinen JT, Viswanathan M, Vakkuri O, Saavedra JM (1992) Differential regulation of the rat melatonin receptors: selective age associated decline and lack of melatonin induced changes. Endocrinology 130: 2139–2144
Lindroos OFC, Leinenen LM, Laakso ML (1992) Melatonin binding to the anteroventral and anterodorsal thalamic nuclei in the rat. Neurosci Lett 143: 219–222
Masson-Pévet M, George D, Kalsbeek A, Saboureau M, Lakhdar-Ghazal N, Pévet P (1994) An attempt to correlate brain areas containing melatonin-binding sites with rhythmic fonctions: a study in five hibernator species. Cell Tissue Res 278: 97–106
Mauviard F, Pévet P, Forlot P (1991) 5-Methoxypsoralen enhances plasma melatonin concentrations in the male rat: non-noradrenergic-mediated stimulation and lack of effect in pinealectomized animals. J Pineal Res 11: 35–41
Nazarali AJ, Gutkind JS, Saavedra JM (1989) Calibration of125I-polymer with125I-brain paste standards for use in quantitative receptor autoradiograohy. J Neurosci Methods 30: 247–253
Paxinos G, Tork I, Tecott LH, Valentino KL (1991) Atlas of the developing rat brain. Academic Press, San Diego New York Boston London Sydney Tokyo Toronto
Posner BI, Patel B, Vezinhet A, Charrier J (1980) Pituitary-growth hormone receptors in rabbit and sheep liver. Endocrinology 107: 1954–1958
Reppert SM, Anderson A, Klein DC (1979) Maternal-fetal transfert of melatonin in the non-human primate. Pediatr Res 13: 788–791
Reppert SM, Sagar SM (1983) Characterization of the day-night variation of retinal melatonin content in the chick. Invest Ophtalmol Vis Sci 24: 294–300
Seltzer A, Viswanathan M, Saavedra JM (1992) Melatonin-binding sites in brain and caudal arteries of the female rat during the estrous cycle and after estrogen administration. Endocrinology 130: 1896–1902
Tamarkin L, Baird CJ, Almeida OFX (1985) Melatonin: a coordinating signal for mammalian reproduction? Science 227: 714–720
Tamarkin L, Reppert SM, Orloff DJ, Klein DC, Yellon SM, Goldman BD (1980) Ontogeny of the pineal melatonin rhythm in the Syrian (Mesocricetus auratus) and Siberian (Phodopus sungorus) hamsters and in the rat. Endocrinology 107: 1061–1064
Tillet Y, Ravault JP, Selve C, Evin G, Castro B, Dubois MP (1986) Immunohistochemical visualization of serotonin and melatonin in the sheep pineal gland using specific antibodies. CR Acad Sci S III 303: 77–82
Vakkuri O, Leppaluoto J, Vuolteenaho C (1984) Development and validation of a melatonin radioimmunoassay using radioiodinated melatonin as tracer. Acta Endocrinol 106: 152–157
Vanecek J (1988) The melatonin receptors in rat ontogenesis. Neuroendocrinology 48: 201–203
Vanecek J, Pavlik A, Illnerova H (1987) Hypothalamic melatonin receptor sites revealed by autoradiography. Brain Res 435: 359–362
Velazquez E, Esquifino AI, Zueco JA, Ruiz Albusac JM, Blazquez E (1992) Evidence that circadian variations of circulating melatonin levels in fetal and suckling rats are dependent on maternal melatonin transfer. Neuroendocrinology 55: 321–326
Viswanathan M, Laitinen JT, Saavedra JM (1990) Expression of melatonin receptors in arteries involved in thermoregulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 87: 6200–6203
Weaver DR, Keohan JT, Reppert SM (1987) Definition of a prenatal sensitive period for maternal-fetal communication of day lenght. Am J Physiol 253: E701-E704
Weaver DR, Rivkees SA, Reppert SM (1989) Localization and characterization of melatonin receptors in rodent brain by in vitro autoradiography. J Neurosci 9: 2581–2590
Williams LM (1989) Melatonin-binding sites in the rat brain and pituitary mapped by in vitro autoradiography. J Mol Endocrinol 3: 71–75
Williams LM, Martinoli MG, Titchener LT, Pelletier G (1991) The ontogeny of central melatonin binding sites in the rat. Endocrinology 128: 2083–2090
Williams LM, Morgan PJ (1988) Demonstration of melatonin-binding sites on the pars tuberalis of the rat. J Endocr 119: R1-R3
Yellon SM, Longo LD (1987) Melatonin rhythms in fetal and maternal circulation during pregnancy in sheep. Am J Physiol 252: E799-E802
Yellon SM, Longo LD (1988) Effect of materanl pinealectomy and reverse photoperiod on the circadian melatonin rhythm in the sheep and fetus during the last trimester of pregnancy. Biol Reprod 39: 1093–1099
Zemdegs IZ, McMillen IC, Walker DW, Thorburn GD, Nowak R (1988) Diurnal rhythms in plasma melatonin concentrations in the fetal sheep and pregnant ewe during late gestation. Endocrinology 123: 284–289
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zitouni, M., Masson-Pévet, M., Gauer, F. et al. Influence of maternal melatonin on melatonin receptors in rat offspring. J. Neural Transmission 100, 111–122 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271534
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271534