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Synthesis of Serotonin by Pineal Glands of the Rat in Organ Culture

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Abstract

THE pineal gland of the rat has been shown to contain large quantities of the indole serotonin1. This organ can also metabolize serotonin by a unique pathway to form the hormone melatonin (5-methoxy N-acetyltryptamine)2. The content of serotonin1,3 and the activity of the melatonin-forming enzyme4 in the pineal have been found to vary with a 24 h cycle. These rhythms are controlled by information transmitted to the pineal through its sympathetic nerves3,5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McLean Hospital Research Laboratories, Belmont, Massachusetts

    HARVEY M. SHEIN

  2. Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    RICHARD J. WURTMAN

  3. Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

    JULIUS AXELROD

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

    HARVEY M. SHEIN

Authors
  1. HARVEY M. SHEIN
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  2. RICHARD J. WURTMAN
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  3. JULIUS AXELROD
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SHEIN, H., WURTMAN, R. & AXELROD, J. Synthesis of Serotonin by Pineal Glands of the Rat in Organ Culture. Nature 213, 730–731 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/213730a0

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