title: Histone H3 phosphorylation in the rat pineal gland: adrenergic regulation and diurnal variation.
abstract: In this study, we investigated phosphorylation of Ser10 in histone H3 by norepinephrine (NE) in the rat pineal gland. In whole-animal studies, we demonstrated a marked increase in histone H3 phosphorylation in the rat pineal gland during the first half of the dark period. Exposure to light during this period caused a rapid decline in histone H3 phosphorylation with an estimated t1/2 of less than 15 min, indicating a high level of dephosphorylation activity. Corresponding studies in cultured pineal cells revealed that treatment with NE produced an increase in histone H3 phosphorylation that peaked between 2 and 3 h and declined rapidly by 4 h. The NE-induced histone H3 phosphorylation was blocked by cotreatment with propranolol or KT5720, a protein kinase A inhibitor, but not by prazosin or other kinase inhibitors. Moreover, only treatment with dibutyryl cAMP but not other kinase activators mimicked the effect of NE on histone H3 phosphorylation. The NE-stimulated H3 phosphorylation was markedly increased by cotreatment with a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, tautomycin or okadaic acid, supporting a high level of ongoing histone H3 dephosphorylation activity. Together, our results indicate that histone H3 phosphorylation is a naturally occurring event at night in the rat pineal gland that is driven almost exclusively by a NE-->beta-adrenergic-->cAMP/protein kinase A signaling mechanism. This transient histone H3 phosphorylation probably reflects the nocturnal activation of multiple adrenergic-regulated genes in the rat pineal gland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, 7-26 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2H7.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chik
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Arnason
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Dukewich
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ranger
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; D009638:Norepinephrine