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Updated: Aug 23, 2026
Methodology for Biomimetic Chemical Neuromodulation of Rat Retinas with the Neurotransmitter Glutamate In Vitro
Published on: December 19, 2017
Induction of photosensitivity in cultured rat pineal affects Aa-nat regulation
Chiaki Fukuhara1, Gianluca Tosini
1Neuroscience Institute and NSF Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30310-1495, USA.
Abstract:
In a previous investigation we have demonstrated that neonatal rat pineal may become photosensitive if removed from the animal at post-natal day 1 and cultured for 7 days. In the present study we demonstrated that Aa-nat mRNA, the key enzyme in melatonin biosynthetic pathway, is affected by illumination in photosensitive pineal, and Aa-nat transcription in photosensitive pineal, but not in adult or non photosensitive pineals, is up-regulated by BMAL1:CLOCK.
