Abstract
The rat arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) gene encodes the key enzyme whose rhythmic expression drives the nocturnal production of melatonin. It is of interest that this enzyme is expressed virtually exclusively in two phylogenetically related tissues: retinal photoreceptors, which harbor an endogenous clock, and pinealocytes which, in higher vertebrates, function strictly in response to the master oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). While much is known about AA-NAT transcriptional regulation in the rat pineal gland (a slave oscillator), a full understanding of the mechanisms controlling AA-NAT gene expression in the retina by the clock is lacking. In the present study we have identified a functional E box in the first intron of the rat AA-NAT gene which is capable of mediating transcriptional upregulation via the action of a bMAL/CLOCK heterodimer. This is the first report to characterize the AA-NAT gene as a possible direct transcriptional target of the biological clock loop in a master oscillator.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
