Abstract
The activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase, the key enzyme of melatonin synthesis, shows a marked circadian rhythm in the pineal glands of various animal species1–10. The regulation mechanism of the N-acetyltransferse rhythm in birds is different from that in mammals. N-Acetyltransferase activity in rat pineal gland is controlled by the central nervous system through the sympathetic nerves from the superior cervical ganglion1–6, while in chicken the endogenous oscillator for N-acetyltransferase rhythm is presumably located in the pineal gland. Recently it has been shown that N-acetyltransferase activity oscillates in a circadian manner in the organ culture of chicken pineal glands11–13. When chicken pineal glands were organ-cultured under continuous illumination, the nocturnal increase of enzyme activity was suppressed. These observations suggested that chicken pineal gland contains a circadian oscillator, a photoreceptor and melatonin-synthesising machinery. A central question arises whether the circadian oscillation of N-acetyltransferase activity and its response to environmental lighting are generated within the cell or are emergent properties of interaction between different types of pineal cells. I report here that in the dispersed cell culture of chicken pineal gland, N-acetyltransferase activity exhibits a circadian rhythm and responds to enviromental lighting in the same manner as in the organ culture.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Axelrod, J. Science 184, 1341–1348 (1974).
Klein, D. C. & Weller, J. L. Science 169, 1093–1095 (1970).
Klein, D. C., Weller, J. L. & Moore, R. Y. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 3107–3110 (1971).
Deguchi, T. & Axelrod, J. Proc. natn. Acd. Sci. U.S.A. 69, 2547–2550 (1972).
Deguchi, T. Molec. Phamac. 9, 184–190 (1973).
Moore, R. Y. & Klein, D. C. Brain Res. 71, 17–33 (1974).
Binkley, S., MacBride, S. E., Klein, D. C. & Ralph, C. L. Science 181, 273–275 (1973).
Ralph, C. L., Binkley, S., MacBride, S. E. & Klein, D. C. Endocrinology 97, 1373–1378 (1975).
Binkley, S., MacBride, S. E., Klein, D. C. & Ralph, C. L. Endocrinology 96, 848–853 (1975).
Binkley, S. Am. Zool. 16, 57–65 (1976).
Deguchi, T. in Integrative Control Functions of the Brian Vol. 1 (eds Ito, M., Tsukahara, N., Kubota, K. & Yagi, K.) 345–347 (Kodansha, Tokyo/Elsevier Amsterdam, 1978); Deguchi, T. Science 203, 1245–1247 (1979).
Binkley, S., Riebman, J. B. & Reilly, K. B. Science 202, 1198–1201 (1978).
Kasal, C. A., Menaker, M. & Perez-Polo, J. R. Science 203, 656–658 (1979).
Holzer, H., Abbott, J., Lash, J. & Holzer, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 46, 1533–1538 (1960).
Moscona, A. Expl Cell Res. 22, 455–475 (1961).
Kuroda, Y. Expl Cell Res. 35, 337–348 (1964).
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L. & Randall, R. J. J. biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Deguchi, T. A circadian oscillator in cultured cells of chicken pineal gland. Nature 282, 94–96 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/282094a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/282094a0
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Circadian genomics of the chick pineal gland in vitro
BMC Genomics (2008)
-
Circadian rhythms from multiple oscillators: lessons from diverse organisms
Nature Reviews Genetics (2005)
-
Rhythmic expression of NocturninmRNA in multiple tissues of the mouse
BMC Developmental Biology (2001)
-
Molecular cloning of heterotrimeric G-protein α-subunits in chicken pineal gland
Journal of Molecular Evolution (1997)
-
A cationic channel regulated by a vertebrate intrinsic circadian oscillator
Nature (1996)