title: Circadian variations in melatonin-binding sites in discrete areas of the male rat brain.
abstract: The binding of 125I-melatonin to synaptosomes prepared from whole brains of male rats of the CD strain and from the brain, hypothalamus and striatum of male rats of the Sabra-Wistar strain was assessed throughout a 24 h period. The animals were maintained under a daily schedule of 14 h light (05:00-19:00 h) and 10 h darkness. In whole brain preparations the density of binding sites at 18:00 h was higher by about 70% than at 02:00 h with no variations in apparent affinity of the binding sites throughout the daily period. Specific binding of 125I-melatonin was found in both hypothalamus and striatum of the male rat with a distinct diurnal variation in binding site density in the hypothalamus only. The density of 125I-melatonin-binding sites in the hypothalamus was maximal between 10:00 and 18:00 h and dropped sharply after the lights went off. The apparent 125I-melatonin-binding affinities in these regions were constant and very similar to those in whole brain preparations. The daily variations in densities of 125I-melatonin-binding sites in discrete brain areas may represent a diurnal rhythmicity in the responsiveness of the neuroendocrine axis to melatonin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zisapel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laudon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000378:metabolism*; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D008550:Melatonin