Circadian rhythms of vasopressin content in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the rat.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus contains a circadian pacemaker in mammals. We determined the circadian profiles of arginine-vasopressin (AVP), a major peptide in the dorsomedial SCN, in rats under light-dark (LD), constant dark (DD) and constant light (LL) conditions. Under LD conditions, AVP levels in the SCN showed circadian rhythmicity with a peak at early light phase and a broad trough during the dark phase. This rhythm in the AVP contents was maintained even after 14 days of free-running under DD conditions and 3 days under LL conditions. These circadian patterns of AVP are similar to those of somatostatin, another peptide in the dorsomedial SCN. This indicates a common mode of regulation for peptides in this subfield of the SCN.
Tominaga
K
K
Laboratory of Integrative Brain Functions, Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.
Shinohara
K
K
Otori
Y
Y
Fukuhara
C
C
Inouye
S T
ST
D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D017440:Photoperiod; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism*
D001127:Arginine Vasopressin