Circadian rhythms of vasopressin release in primary cultures of rat suprachiasmatic nucleus.
We have developed a suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) cell culture system to study the cellular and molecular bases of the mammalian circadian pacemaker. The SCN regions were dissected from 4- to 6-day-old rat pups and dissociated cells were cultured in a defined medium. In all the cultures, the release of vasopressin showed clear circadian oscillation, which appeared within a few days in culture and lasted for more than a month. The peak of vasopressin release was observed at subjective day. These findings suggest that this culture system provides a valuable model for elucidating the mechanism of the circadian pacemakers.
Watanabe
K
K
Department of Physiology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
Koibuchi
N
N
Ohtake
H
H
Yamaoka
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017440:Photoperiod; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D011189:Potassium Chloride