| Literature DB >> 2116012 |
N Aronin1, S M Sagar, F R Sharp, W J Schwartz.
Abstract
Mammalian circadian rhythmicity is endogenously generated by a pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nuclei and precisely entrained to the 24-hr day/night cycle by periodic environmental light cues. We show that light alters the immunoreactive levels of a transcriptional regulatory protein, Fos, in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of albino rats. Photic regulation of Fos immunoreactivity does not occur in other retino-recipient brain areas except for the intergeniculate leaflet, which appears to be involved in mediating some of the complex effects of light on expressed circadian rhythms. Our results point to a promising new functional marker for the cellular effects of light and suggest that the expression of Fos or a related nuclear protein may be part of the mechanism for photic entrainment of the circadian clock to environmental light/dark cycles.Entities:
Mesh:
Substances:
Year: 1990 PMID: 2116012 PMCID: PMC54449 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.87.15.5959
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ISSN: 0027-8424 Impact factor: 11.205