Abstract
The Toll-like receptors mRNA expression profile in the pineal gland of sheep during long and short days
Highlights
In the vertebrate, the pineal gland is a neuroendocrine organ converting environmental photoperiodic information into a biochemical messenger – melatonin
The gene characterized by the highest variation in the degree of expression was TLR10 during the LD period, but during the SD period, TLR6 expression varied most (Table 2)
Our study shows that the profile of Toll-like receptors (TLR) mRNA expression in the pineal gland was generally independent of the photoperiodic conditions and/or the circulating level of melatonin
Summary
The pineal gland is a neuroendocrine organ converting environmental photoperiodic information into a biochemical messenger – melatonin. This molecule regulates the activity of numerous target tissues after its release into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid (Skinner and Malpaux, 1999). The magnitude and duration of the nocturnal increase in melatonin synthesis is dependent on the length of the dark phase of the photoperiodic cycle. Melatonin synthesis acts as a ‘clock’and ‘calendar’for other biological activities It occurs in all vertebrate species, regardless of their diurnal or nocturnal locomotor activity, and it is a message of darkness and not of the rest or sleep period (Skwarlo-Sonta et al, 2003). Acting via β1- and α1-adrenergic membrane receptors, NA induces the synthesis of melatonin in the pinealocytes (Schomerus and Korf, 2005)
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