Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1): >100-fold nocturnal and norepinephrine-induced changes in the rat pineal gland

The norepinephrine-driven increase in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity is part of the mechanism that regulates arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) activity in the rat pineal gland. We now report a marked nocturnal increase in the expression of a MAPK phosphatase, MAP kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1), that was blocked by maintaining animals in constant light or treatment with propranolol. MKP-1 expression was regulated by norepinephrine acting through both alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors. These results establish a nocturnal increase in pineal MKP-1 expression that is under the control of a photoneural system. Because substrates of MKP-1 can influence AA-NAT activity, our findings suggest the involvement of MKP-1 in the regulation of the nocturnal AA-NAT signal.