Iron decreases the nuclear but not the cytosolic content of the neurohormone melatonin in several tissues in chicks

Marta I. Pablos, M. Teresa Agapito, Armando Menéndez-Pelaez, Darío Acuña-Castroviejo, Russel J. Reiter, José M. Recio

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper describes the influence of iron on both nuclear and cytosolic melatonin contents in several tissues of chicks. The neurohormone melatonin was estimated by means of radioimmunoassay. Iron, administered as FeCl3, decreased the nuclear melatonin level in a variety of tissues, including brain, heart, lung, kidney, and erythrocytes (nucleated cells in chicks) but was not seen in either the liver or gut. All variations related with iron were seen in the nuclear fraction, while only in the pineal gland did the melatonin content of the cytosol change as a result of iron treatment. We also observed a day-night rhythm in the nuclear melatonin: high nuclear levels of melatonin at night and low levels during the light period. This is the first report of nuclear localization of melatonin in any avian cell.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)317-321
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Cellular Biochemistry
Volume60
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • chicks
  • cytosol
  • erythrocytes
  • iron
  • melatonin
  • nucleus
  • pineal gland
  • tissues

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Iron decreases the nuclear but not the cytosolic content of the neurohormone melatonin in several tissues in chicks'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this