Pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase: expression cloning and molecular analysis.
Pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase, or AA-NAT) generates the large circadian rhythm in melatonin, the hormone that coordinates daily and seasonal physiology in some mammals. Complementary DNA encoding ovine AA-NAT was cloned. The abundance of AA-NAT messenger RNA (mRNA) during the day was high in the ovine pineal gland and somewhat lower in retina. AA-NAT mRNA was found unexpectedly in the pituitary gland and in some brain regions. The night-to-day ratio of ovine pineal AA-NAT mRNA is less than 2. In contrast, the ratio exceeds 150 in rats. AA-NAT represents a family within a large superfamily of acetyltransferases.
Coon
S L
SL
Section on Neuroendocrinology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Roseboom
P H
PH
Baler
R
R
Weller
J L
JL
Namboodiri
M A
MA
Koonin
E V
EV
Klein
D C
DC
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012756:Sheep; D014162:Transfection
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase