Pineal Glands In Culture Research Articles

Transient Receptor Potential-Vanilloid (TRPV1-TRPV4) Channels in the Atlantic Salmon, Salmo salar. A Focus on the Pineal Gland and Melatonin Production.

Fish are ectotherm, which rely on the external temperature to regulate their internal body temperature, although some may perform partial endothermy. Together with photoperiod, temperature oscillations, contribute to synchronizing the daily and seasonal variations of fish metabolism, physiology and behavior. Recent studies are shedding light on the mechanisms of temperature sensing and behavioral thermoregulation in fish. In particular, the role of some members of the transient receptor potential channels (TRP) is being gradually unraveled. The present study in the migratory Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, aims at identifying the tissue distribution and abundance in mRNA corresponding to the TRP of the vanilloid subfamilies, TRPV1 and TRPV4, and at characterizing their putative role in the control of the temperature-dependent modulation of melatonin production—the time-keeping hormone—by the pineal gland. In Salmo salar, TRPV1 and TRPV4 mRNA tissue distribution appeared ubiquitous; mRNA abundance varied as a function of the month investigated. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry indicated specific labeling located in the photoreceptor cells of the pineal gland and the retina. Additionally, TRPV analogs modulated the production of melatonin by isolated pineal glands in culture. The TRPV1 agonist induced an inhibitory response at high concentrations, while evoking a bell-shaped response (stimulatory at low, and inhibitory at high, concentrations) when added with an antagonist. The TRPV4 agonist was stimulatory at the highest concentration used. Altogether, the present results agree with the known widespread distribution and role of TRPV1 and TRPV4 channels, and with published data on trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), leading to suggest these channels mediate the effects of temperature on S. salar pineal melatonin production. We discuss their involvement in controlling the timing of daily and seasonal events in this migratory species, in the context of an increasing warming of water temperatures.

Pineal Gland Culture.

Pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin at night with a circadian rhythm. The synthesis and secretion of melatonin are stimulated at night by norepinephrine released by sympathetic postganglionic neurons projecting from the superior cervical ganglia. Norepinephrine simultaneously activates α- and β-adrenoceptors, triggering melatonin synthesis.To study the regulation of melatonin production and secretion, it is very convenient to use an ex vivo preparation. Thus, it is possible to keep intact pineal glands in culture and to study the actions of agonists, antagonists, modulators, toxic agents, etc., in melatonin synthesis. Artificial melatonin synthesis stimulation in vitro is usually achieved by using a β-adrenergic agonist alone or in association with an α-adrenergic agonist. In this chapter, the methodology of cultured pineal glands will be described. Several papers were published by our group using this methodology, approaching the role played in melatonin synthesis control by angiotensin II and IV, insulin, glutamate, voltage-gated calcium channels, anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME, crack-cocaine product), monosodium glutamate (MSG), signaling pathways like NFkB, pathophysiological conditions like diabetes, etc.

The pineal gland: A model for adrenergic modulation of ubiquitin ligases.

IntroductionA recent study of the pineal gland of the rat found that the expression of more than 3000 genes showed significant day/night variations (The Hartley dataset). The investigators of this report made available a supplemental table in which they tabulated the expression of many genes that they did not discuss, including those coding for components of the ubiquitin proteasome system. Herein we identify the genes of the ubiquitin proteasome system whose expression were significantly influenced by environmental lighting in the Hartley dataset, those that were stimulated by DBcAMP in pineal glands in culture, and those that were stimulated by norepinephrine.PurposeUsing the Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like Conjugation Database (UUCA) we identified ubiquitin ligases and conjugases, and deubiquitinases in the Hartley dataset for the purpose of determining whether expression of genes of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway were significantly influenced by day/night variations and if these variations were regulated by autonomic innervation of the pineal gland from the superior cervical ganglia.MethodsIn the Hartley experiments pineal glands groups of rats sacrificed during the day and groups sacrificed during the night were examined for gene expression. Additional groups of rats had their superior cervical ganglia removed surgically or surgically decentralized and the pineal glands likewise examined for gene expression.ResultsThe genes with at least a 2-fold day/night significant difference in expression included genes for 5 ubiquitin conjugating enzymes, genes for 58 ubiquitin E3 ligases and genes for 6 deubiquitinases. A 35-fold day/night difference was noted in the expression of the gene Sik1, which codes for a protein containing both an ubiquitin binding domain (UBD) and an ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain. Most of the significant differences in these genes were prevented by surgical removal, or disconnection, of the superior cervical ganglia, and most were responsive, in vitro, to treatment with a cyclic AMP analog, and norepinephrine. All previously described 24-hour rhythms in the pineal require an intact sympathetic input from the superior cervical ganglia.ConclusionsThe Hartley dataset thus provides evidence that the pineal gland is a highly useful model for studying adrenergically dependent mechanisms regulating variations in ubiquitin ligases, ubiquitin conjugases, and deubiquitinases, mechanisms that may be physiologically relevant not only in the pineal gland, but in all adrenergically innervated tissue.

Corticosterone modulates noradrenaline‐induced melatonin synthesis through inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B

In chronically inflamed animals, adrenal hormones exert a positive control on the secretion of melatonin by the pineal gland. In this paper, the mechanism of corticosterone as a modulator of melatonin and N-acetylserotonin (NAS) was determined. Rat pineal glands in culture, stimulated for 5 hr with noradrenaline (10 nm), were previously incubated with corticosterone (1.0 nm-1.0 microm) for 48 hr in the presence or absence of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist, mifepristone (1.0 microm), the proteasome inhibitor, N-acetyl-leucinyl-leucinyl-norleucinal-H (ALLN, 12.5 microm) or the antagonist of the nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB), pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC, 12.5 microm). Corticosterone potentiated noradrenaline-induced melatonin and NAS production in a bell-shaped manner. The increase in NAS (12.9 +/- 2.7, n=6 versus 34.3 +/- 8.3 ng per pineal) and melatonin (16.3 +/- 2.0, n=6 versus 44.3 +/- 12.9 ng per pineal) content induced by 1 microm corticosterone was blocked by mifepristone, and mimicked by ALLN and PDTC. The presence of GRs was shown by [3H]-dexamethasone binding (0.30 +/- 0.09 pmol/mg protein) and corticosterone inhibition of NFkappaB nuclear translocation was demonstrated by electromobility shift assay. Therefore, corticosterone potentiates noradrenaline-induced melatonin and NAS production through GR inhibition of NFkappaB nuclear translocation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that this relevant pathway for passive and acquired immune response is shown to modulate melatonin production in pineal gland.

Glutamate receptor subunit delta2 is highly expressed in a novel population of glial-like cells in rat pineal glands in culture.

The mammalian pineal gland uses L-glutamate as an intercellular chemical transmitter to regulate negatively melatonin synthesis. To receive glutamate signals, pinealocytes express at least three kinds of glutamate receptors: metabotropic receptor types 3 and 5 and an ionotropic receptor, GluR1. In this study, we examined whether or not the fourth class of ionotropic receptor, delta, which is known for its nondefinitive molecular function and its unique expression pattern in brain, is expressed in pineal gland. RT-PCR analyses with specific probes indicated the expression of mRNA of delta2 but not that of delta1 in pineal gland and cultured pineal cells. Western blotting analysis with polyclonal antibodies specific to the carboxyl-terminal region of the delta2 receptor recognized a single 110-kDa polypeptide of cerebellar membranes and specifically immunostained Purkinje cells. The delta2 antibodies recognized a 110-kDa polypeptide of pineal membranes and specifically immunostained huge glial-like cells with the occasional presence of several long, branching processes in a pineal cell culture. delta2 is not uniformly distributed throughout the cells and is relatively abundant at the periphery of the cell bodies and long processes, where the terminals of synaptophysin-positive processes of pinealocytes, a site for glutamate secretion, are frequently present. The delta2-positive cells constitute a very minor population among total pineal cells (approximately 0.03%). Double immunolabeling with delta2 antibodies and antibodies against marker proteins for pineal interstitial cells clearly distinguishes delta2-positive pineal cells and other known interstitial cells, including glial fibrillary acidic protein- or vimentin-positive glial-like cells. These results indicated that the delta2 glutamate receptor is expressed in a novel subpopulation of pineal glial-like cells in culture and suggest the presence of a glutamate-mediated intercellular signal transduction mechanism between pinealocytes and delta2-expressing cells. The pineal cells may provide a good experimental system for studies on the function of glutamate receptor delta2.

RF exposure of biological systems in radial waveguides

Two radial waveguide exposure systems for multiple biological targets are described that were conceived, dimensioned, implemented, measured and dosimetrically analyzed. In the first case, a number of 120 hamsters was exposed with mobile communication signals at 383 and 900 MHz. The variation of the dissipated energy within the animals could be reduced to less than 30% though the objects were not restrained. Whole body specific absorption rates of 80 mW/kg were applied. The other system was used for exposing hamster's pineal glands in culture. The small size of the samples yields an even smaller variation of the exposure of 2.4%. This is a consequence of the excellent uniformity of the electromagnetic field distribution across the exposure region, which was achieved by a good rotational symmetry of the waveguide and a careful design of the feed antenna and the absorber/shortcut combination. The paper reports on the technical aspects of the RF exposure.

Existence and function of opioid receptors on mammalian pinealocytes.

Previous studies in our laboratories have identified a single population of opioid receptors in bovine pineal gland, which we have chosen to characterize further on pinealocytes isolated from the cow and rat pineal gland. The bovine pinealocytes isolated by trypsinization or mechanical manipulation revealed receptor density (Bmax) values of 206.95 +/- 131.15 and 220.34 +/- 11.80 fmol/mg protein, respectively, and dissociation equilibrium constant (Kd) values of 1.93 +/- 0.48 and 1.96 +/- 0.21 nM, respectively. The rat pinealocytes cultured for 7 days exhibited a [3H]diprenorphine binding site of 56 fmol/10(6) cells. Morphine (100 microM) enhanced the activity of N-acetyltransferase and the level of melatonin in rat pineal gland in culture incubated for 21 hr. The results of these studies suggest that opioidergic receptors exist on pinealocytes and they are involved in stimulating the activity of N-acetyltransferase and the synthesis of melatonin, thereby regulating the physiology of mammalian pineal gland.

Noradrenergic regulation of c- jun expression in the rat pineal gland in culture: positive and negative components

One component of the nocturnal changes in cellular immediate-early gene expression in the rat pineal gland is a decrease in c- jun expression, mediated through ß-adrenoceptors. An in vitro study of the intracellular mechanisms which control c- jun expression has now shown that a norepinephrine-induced increase in c- jun mRNA levels in organ-cultured pineals is differentially modulated by protein kinase inhibitors; N-(2-guanidinoethyl)-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (HA-1004) potentiated the response; however, in the presence of 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7), a significant decrease in c- jun mRNA was found. Treatment with HA-1004 alone elevated the level of c- jun mRNA, H-7 alone was without effect. Forskolin together with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine suppressed c- jun, whereas phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate raised c- jun mRNA levels. The results demonstrate opposing pathways for c- jun regulation in the pineal gland, and indicate that the nocturnal attenuation of c- jun expression involves selective activation of a negative pathway which may be linked to cAMP.

Status of Dopamine in Bovine Pineal Glands and the Stimulation of N‐Acetyltransferase Activity by D2‐Dopaminergic Receptor Agonists in the Rat Pineal Glands in Culture

In a previous study, we identified in the bovine pineal gland two [3H]spiroperidol-binding sites with KD values of 0.18 and 2.1 nM and Bmax values of 37 and 630 fmol/mg protein, respectively. In this study, the status of dopamine in the bovine pineal glands was delineated further by measuring the relative concentrations of dopamine and norepinephrine and the relative concentrations of serotonin and melatonin. Furthermore, the presence of 4.0 +/- 0.6 micrograms/dopamine/gm tissue encouraged us to delineate the effects of select dopaminergic receptor agonists and antagonists on the synthesis of melatonin in vivo and on the activity of N-acetyltransferase in the rat pineal gland in culture. The acute administration of haloperidol (3 mg/kg intraperitoneally [ip]) or sulpiride (200 mg/kg ip) increased the concentration of melatonin in the pineal gland from 160.6 +/- 8.18 to 327.6 +/- 45.43 and 306.5 +/- 40.53 pg/gland, respectively. Dopamine exhibited dual effects on the activity of N-acetyltransferase, inhibiting the basal activity at 0.1 microM and stimulating it at 10 microM, and the later effect was blocked by propranolol. D2-dopaminergic receptor agonists such as bromocriptine (4.0 microM) or LY-171555 (10.0 microM) partially attenuated the norepinephrine-induced stimulation of N-acetyltransferase, and these attenuating effects were reversed by D2-dopaminergic antagonists such as haloperidol (10 microM) or domperidone (10 microM). The results of these studies are interpreted to indicate that for the synthesis of melatonin, the pineal D2-dopaminergic receptors may function independently from those of the beta 1-adrenergic receptor sites. Furthermore, the said D2-dopaminergic receptor are amenable to down regulation since the activity of N-acetyltransferase remained unaltered (0.0717 vs. 0.0729 nmol/gland/h) following chronic treatment (4 mg/kg ip/day for 30 days) with bromocriptine.

Studies on High-Affinity [3H] Substance P Binding Sites in Bovine Pineal Gland

The presence of substance P in numerous mammalian pineal glands prompted us to search for its binding sites in the bovine pineal gland. The binding assays to pineal membrane were carried out in polypropylene microcentrifuge tubes in a final volume of 500 microliters of 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.4) containing aliquots of 200-500 micrograms protein, 0.02% BSA, 6 micrograms/ml chymostatin, 4 micrograms/ml leupeptin, 40 micrograms/ml bacitracin, 5 mM MnCl2, and 50 microliters of [3H]substance P (3H-SP, 45.7 Ci/mmol to yield a final concentration of 0.02-20 nM) to start the reactions, which were incubated for 20 min at 20 degrees C. The reactions were terminated by centrifugation in a Fisher Microcentrifuge Model 235A for 30 seconds at 13,000 X g, and the pellets were washed twice with 1 ml of ice-cold 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer containing 0.02% BSA, 6 micrograms/ml chymostatin, 4 micrograms/ml leupeptin, 40 micrograms/ml bacitracin, 5 mM MnCl2, 120 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 1 mM MgCl2, and 1 mM CaCl2. The bottoms of the tubes were cut, the membrane pellets were dissolved in 5 ml of Triton X-100/toluene fluor (1:3) scintillation fluid, and the radioactivity was counted. The specific [3H]-substance P binding at 1-2 nM was 40-50% of the total binding, and the non-specific binding was assessed by using 2 microM of unlabelled substance P. These studies identified in bovine pineal gland a high affinity receptor site for [3H]SP with a KD value of 0.43 nM and a Bmax value of 71.14 fmol/mg protein. The relative affinity of various substance P analogues or fragments was: substance P greater than physalaemin greater than SP2-11 greater than SP3-11 greater than SP4-11 greater than SP6-11 greater than substance K = eledoisin greater than kassinin greater than SP7-11 greater than SP free acid. Substance P did not alter the basal or the norepinephrine-induced stimulation of the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase in rat pineal gland in culture.

Norepinephrine-induced elevation of acetyl coenzyme A in rat pineal glands in culture

A micromethod for the determination of acetyl coenzyme A was developed and the relationship between the concentration of acetyl coenzyme A and the activity of rat pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase was studied. Acetyl coenzyme A was determined by converting it into N-acetylserotonin using rat liver serotonin N-acetyltransferase. Subsequently, the hydroxy group of N-acetylserotonin was O-methylated by hydroxyindole- O-methyltransferase and S-[methyl- 3H]adenosyl- l-methionine to form [ 3H]melatonin, which was then conveniently separated from S-[methyl- 3H]adenosyl- l-methionine by thin-layer chromatography. The amount of radioactivity in melatonin is a measure of acetyl coenzyme A concentration. This method is sensitive and specific, since it can detect as low as 5 pmol of acetyl coenzyme A but not structurally related substances such as coenzyme A, adenosine diphosphate, cysteamine, d-panthothenic acid, or sodium acetate. After treating cultured rat pineal glands with l-norepinephrine (10 μM) for 6 hr, the concentration of acetyl coenzyme A was increased significantly from 3.26 ± 0.37 to 10.24 ± 0.93 pmol/gland, while the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase increased 68-fold. This result suggests that acetyl coenzyme A may play an important role in the norepinephrine-induced induction of serotonin N-acetyltransferase. Sensitivity and adaptability of this method can be utilized to measure acetyl coenzyme A in discrete regions of rat brain and in experimental conditions in which micromeasuremenf of acetyl coenzyme A may be required.

A specific and sensitive enzymatic-isotopic microassay of coenzyme a in pineal gland

The relationship between the concentration of CoASH and the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT) was studied in rat pineal glands in culture. A technique for microdetermination of CoASH was developed by utilizing acetyl CoA synthetase and partially purified rat liver NAT. Initially CoASH was acetylated with [1– 3H] acetate using acetyl CoA synthetase. Subsequently, the labelled acetyl group was transferred from [1– 3H] acetyl CoA to tryptamine forming [1– 3H acetyl-tryptamine which was then extracted into chloroform and measured by scintillation spectrometry. A direct relationship appeared to exist between the concentrations of CoASH and [1– 3H] acetyltryptamine. This method is sensitive and specific since it can detect as low as 10–15 pmoles of CoASH but not structurally related substances such as acetyl CoA, ADP, cysteamine, or D-pantothenic acid. After treating the rat pineal glands in culture with 10 μM norepinephrine for six hours, the concentration of CoASH was found to decrease significantly from 31.96 ± 0.68 to 24.44 ± 0.37 pmoles/gland, while the activity of NAT increased 68 fold. This inverse relationship indicates that CoASH does not play a direct role in NAT induction although it does protect darktime NAT activity in pineal homogenates against thermal inactivation. The sensitivity and the adaptability of this method can be utilized to measure CoASH in discrete regions of rat brain and in experimental conditions where the micromeasurement of CoASH may be required.

Reciprocal relationship between the concentrations of serotonin and the activity of serotonin-N-acetyltransferase in rat pineal glands in culture.

Serotonin is a co-substrate for catabolism of acetyl CoA by serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT), and acetyl CoA is the most potent known stabilizer of NAT activity against rapid thermal inactivation in pineal homogenate. The possibility that serotonin may modulate NAT activity was considered and subjected to experimentation. Chlorophenylalanine (4 mM) and R04–4602 (100 μM) enhanced the nor- epinephrine (NE)-induced stimulation of NAT activity in rat pineal glands in culture; whereas, 5-hydroxytryptophan (1 mM) attenuated it. Chlorophenylalanine (4 mM) decreased the fall of NAT activity induced by Z-propranolol; whereas, reserpine (50 μM) and serotonin (0.5 mM) had no effect. In contrast, 5-hydroxytryptophan (1 mM) accelerated the fall of NAT activity induced by Z-propranolol. Consequently, a reciprocal relationship appears to exist between the serotonin concentrations and NAT activity in pineal gland. Comparing the kinetics of native and NE-stimulated NAT, there occurred changes in Vmax with regard to both substrates - tryptamine (from 1.2 to 51.28 pmoles/mg protein/min) and acetyl CoA (from 21 to 2000 pmoles/mg protein/hr) without any changes in KM with respect to both tryptamine (KM = 714 μM) or acetyl CoA (KM = 40 μM). In addition, the NAT activity of unstimulated NAT in pineal homogenates could not be activated by incubation with NE-stimulated NAT in pineal homogenates, by cyclic AMP or by trypsin. These data are interpreted to indicate that the NE-induced stimulation of NAT results from increases in NAT molecules, and not activation of pre- existent enzyme. Furthermore, these data propose a role for serotonin in modulating the activity of NAT in pineal glands. This modulation is mediated via serotonin-induced alteration in catabolism of acetyl CoA, which in turn may stabilize the newly synthesized NAT.

Induction of a specific protein by oestradiol in rat pineals in culture

Several lines of evidence indicate that the pineal gland may be a target organ of steroid hormones. The rat pineal has been reported to take up and retain oestradiol both in vivo and in vitro, and to contain cytosol as well as nuclear components capable of binding oestradiol (reviewed [ 1,2] ). Recent experiments have shown that the activity of hydroxyindole-o-methyltransferase (HIOMT), the enzyme involved in the last step of melatonin synthesis, is enhanced by oestradiol at the physiological concentration range, indicating the occurrence of a steroid-inducible reaction sequence in the pineal gland in culture [3]. The enhancement is abolished by inhibitors of protein synthesis, suggesting that de novo synthesis of a certain protein(s) is essential for the increase of this enzyme activity. We report that oestradiol does in fact induce a protein species with app. mol. wt 97 000, which is distinct from the HIOMT protein per se, and similar in its electrophoretic mobility to the ‘oestrogeninduced protein (IP)’ reported for the rat uterus [4-61.

Rat liver N-acetyltransferase: inhibition by melatonin

The relationship between the concentration of CoASH and the activity of serotonin N-acetyltransferase (NAT) was studied in rat pineal glands in culture. A technique for microdetermination of CoASH was developed by utilizing acetyl CoA synthetase and partially purified rat liver NAT. Initially CoASH was acetylated with [1–3H] acetate using acetyl CoA synthetase. Subsequently, the labelled acetyl group was transferred from [1–3H] acetyl CoA to tryptamine forming [1–3H acetyl-tryptamine which was then extracted into chloroform and measured by scintillation spectrometry. A direct relationship appeared to exist between the concentrations of CoASH and [1–3H] acetyltryptamine. This method is sensitive and specific since it can detect as low as 10–15 pmoles of CoASH but not structurally related substances such as acetyl CoA, ADP, cysteamine, or D-pantothenic acid. After treating the rat pineal glands in culture with 10 μM norepinephrine for six hours, the concentration of CoASH was found to decrease significantly from 31.96 ± 0.68 to 24.44 ± 0.37 pmoles/gland, while the activity of NAT increased 68 fold. This inverse relationship indicates that CoASH does not play a direct role in NAT induction although it does protect darktime NAT activity in pineal homogenates against thermal inactivation. The sensitivity and the adaptability of this method can be utilized to measure CoASH in discrete regions of rat brain and in experimental conditions where the micromeasurement of CoASH may be required.