Full text is available at the source.
The Expression of the Melatonin Synthesis Enzyme: ArylalkylamineN-Acetyltransferase in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus of Rat Brain
Levels of the enzyme that makes melatonin in the brain’s daily rhythm control center of rats
AI simplified
Abstract
AA-NAT enzyme activity in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus is highest at early night and lowest at midday.
- The serotonin N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT) mRNA was found in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus, which regulates biological rhythms.
- AA-NAT mRNA levels did not exhibit a significant circadian rhythm.
- Enzyme activity for AA-NAT showed a clear daily rhythm, peaking at night and dropping during midday.
- The observed rhythm in AA-NAT enzyme activity persisted even in constant dark conditions.
- These findings suggest that melatonin synthesis in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus may be regulated by the circadian clock at a post-transcriptional level.
AI simplified