Abstract
The enzyme N-acetyltransferase (acetyl CoA: arylamine N-acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.5) (NAT) acetylates serotonin to N-acetylserotonin, precursor of melatonin (Weissbach et al. 1960). In the rat pineal gland, NAT activity exhibits a circadian rhythm, persisting in constant darkness, with night values 30–100 times higher than daytime values (Klein and Weiler 1970). The rhythm is generated by daily changes in the turnover and presumably in the release of noradrenaline from sympathetic fibres innervating the pineal gland (Brownstein and Axelrod 1974). Noradrenaline released at night in darkness interacts with the beta-adrenergic receptors on the pineal cell membrane, enhancing the production of cAMP which mediates the induction of NAT (Klein and Berg 1970). Activated beta-adrenergic receptors are necessary not only for the evening NAT induction but also for the maintenance of the high night NAT activity (Deguchi and Axelrod 1972a). The NAT rhythm is abolished by denervation of the pineal gland through bilateral cervical ganglionectomy or decentralization of the ganglia (Klein et al. 1971), by destruction of the suprachiasmatic nuclei in the hypothalamus (Moore and Klein 1974) or by constant light (Klein and Weiler 1970).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Brownstain M, Axelrod J (1974) Pineal gland. 24-hour rhythm in norepinephrine turnover. Science 184: 163–164
Deguchi T, Axelrod J (1972a) Control of arcadian change of serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity in the pineal organ by the beta-adrenergic receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 69: 2547–2550
Deguchi T, Axelrod J (1972b) Sensitive assay for serotonin N-acetaltransferase activity in rat pineal. Anal Biochem 50:174–179
Illnerová H, Vaněček J (1979) Response of rat pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase to one min light pulse at different night times. Brain Res 167: 431–434
Illnerová H, Vaněček J (1980) Pineal rhythm in N-acetyltransferase activity in rats under different artificial photoperiods and in natural daylight in the course of a year. Neuroendocrinology 31: 316–320
Dlnerovâ H, Vaněček J, Křeček J, Wetterberg L, Sääf J (1979) Effect of one minute exposure to light at night on rat pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase and melatonin. J Neurochem 32: 673–675
Klein DC, Berg GR (1970) Pineal gland: Stimulation of melatonin production by norepinephrine involves cyclic AMP-mediated stimulation of N-acetyltransferase. Adv Biochem Psychopharmacol 3: 241–263
Klein DC, Weller JE (1970) Indole metabolism in the pineal gland. A circadian rhythm in N-acetyl-transferase activity. Science 169: 1093–1095
Klein DC, Weller JE, Moore RJ (1971) Melatonin metabolism. Neural regulation of pineal serotonin: acetylcoenzyme A N-acetyltransferase activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 68: 3108–3110
Moore RJ, Klein DC (1974) Visual pathways and the central neural control of a circadian rhythm in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity. Brain Res 71: 17–33
Parfitt A, Weiler JL, Klein DC, Sakai KK, Marks BH (1975) Blockade by oubain or elevated potassium ion concentration of the adrenergic and adenosine cyclic 3’, 5’-monophosphate induced stimulation of pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity. Mol Pharmacol 11: 241–255
Pittendrigh CS, Daan S (1976) A functional analysis of circadian pacemakers in nocturnal rodents. V. Pacemaker structure: A clock for all seasons. J Comp Physiol A 106: 333–355
Vanëcek J, Illnerová H (1979) Changes of a rhythm in rat pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase following a one-minute light pulse at night. In: Aniens Kappers J, Pevet P (eds) The pineal gland of vertebrates including man. Progress in brain research, vol II. Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, p 245
Vaněček J, Illnerová H (1980) Some characteristics of the night N-acetyltransferase in the rat pineal gland. J Neurochem 35: 1455–1467
Weissbach H, Redfîeld BG, Axelrod J (1960) Biosynthesis of melatonin; enzymic conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin. Biochem Biophys Acta 43: 352–353
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Illnerová, H., Vaněček, J. (1982). Complex Control of the Circadian Rhythm in N-Acetyltransferase Activity in the Rat Pineal Gland. In: Aschoff, J., Daan, S., Groos, G.A. (eds) Vertebrate Circadian Systems. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68651-1_32
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68651-1_32
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-68653-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68651-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive