Serum melatonin and pineal indoleamine metabolism in a species with a small day/night N-acetyltransferase rhythm.
Ovine serum and pineal melatonin levels are low during the day, increase five to ten-fold at night, decrease during a light pulse at night, and rapidly increase to night levels following the light-dark transition. N-Acetyltransferase activity increases three-fold at night, falls significantly in response to the light pulse, but does not increase following the light pulse. No significant change in N-acetylserotonin occurs under these conditions. These results suggest that the biochemical mechanisms controlling pineal melatonin synthesis in the sheep pineal gland may be different from those in the rat.
D000123:Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000097:blood*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D012756:Sheep; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000097:blood
D012701:Serotonin; D014364:Tryptophan; D000123:Acetyltransferases; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase; D008550:Melatonin