title: Long-term cultured neurons from rat suprachiasmatic nucleus retain the capacity for circadian oscillation of vasopressin release.
abstract: We have developed a dissociated suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) cell culture system in order to begin a cellular analysis of the mammalian circadian oscillator. Monolayer-cultured neurons prepared from the SCN regions of 1-day-old rats were maintained in serum-free culture medium for 3-4 weeks and then perfused. In 12 out of 40 wells, a circadian oscillation of vasopressin release persisted for at least 4-5 cycles until the end of the perfusion period with no damping of the amplitude. This finding suggests that cultured SCN neurons retain the capacity for circadian oscillation for a long time, and should provide a useful model for the analysis of a mammalian circadian system at the cellular level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takamure
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Utunomiya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Etoh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins