Long-term effects of constant light or darkness on chicken pineal hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase expression: biochemical and cellular aspects |
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Authors: | J. Guerlotté P. Voisin M. Bernard P. Brisson J. Falcón J. L. Blasquez J. -P. Collin |
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Affiliation: | Laboratoire de Neurobiologie, URA CNRS No. 290, Poitiers, France. |
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Abstract: | 1. Chickens kept in constant light, as opposed to constant darkness, display a twofold increase in the activity of pineal hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT), the last acting enzyme in the melatonin pathway. 2. Using an immunological approach, we presently show that this regulation of HIOMT activity reflects changes in the concentration of a single molecular form of the enzyme protein (a 38 kDa polypeptide). Immunohistofluorescence indicates that these concentration changes concurrently affect modified photoreceptors and pinealocyte-like cells in the chicken pineal organ. 3. Together, the present data support the hypothesis that environmental lighting might regulate the expression of the HIOMT gene. |
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Keywords: | chicken pineal melatoninergic cells hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase constant light constant darkness |
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