Immunoelectron-microscopic investigation of the subcellular localization of pinopsin in the pineal organ of the chicken

Hirunagi, Kanjun; Ebihara, Shizufumi; Okano, Toshiyuki; Takanaka, Yoko; Fukada, Yoshitaka

doi:10.1007/s004410050870

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(28 reference statements)

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“…In 1994, Okano et al announced the discovery of a non-visual opsin expressed in the chicken pineal (Okano et al 1994), which they named 'pinopsin.' Immunoelectron microscopic investigations by Hirunagi et al (1997) showed that pinopsin was located in the outer segments of pinealocytes, but for no species has it ever been shown to occur in the eye's retina, the structure we focus on in this article.…”

Section: Research Into Photoreceptors-'old' and 'New'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Erren

Lerchl

et al. 2007

Naturwissenschaften

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This paper presents a hypothesis that could explain why blue light appears to dominate non-image-forming (NIF) ocular photoreception in marine as well as terrestrial vertebrates. Indeed, there is more and more evidence suggesting that 'novel' retinal photoreceptors, which are sensitive to blue light and were only discovered in the 1990s, could be a feature shared by all vertebrates. In our view, blue light photoreception evolved and persisted as NIF photoreception because it has been useful in the colonisation of extensive photo-dependent oceanic habitats and facilitated the move of vertebrates from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment. Because the available scattered evidence is compatible with the validity of our hypothesis, we hope that our rationale will be followed up. Indeed, it (1) involves testable predictions, (2) provides plausible explanations for previous observations, (3) unites phenomena not previously considered related to one another and (4) suggests tests that have not been carried out before. Overall, our approach not only embraces cross-disciplinary links; it, moreover, serves as a reminder of an all-embracing evolutionary history, especially with regard to a ubiquitous photoreceptive 'clockwork-blue' in marine and terrestrial vertebrates.

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Section: Research Into Photoreceptors-'old' and 'New'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Erren

Lerchl

et al. 2007

Naturwissenschaften

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“…The gland contains photoreceptor-type secretory pinealocytes that produce melatonin, interstitial cells and rare nerve cells. The pineal photopigment pinopsin [30,31] is exclusively present in the outer segments of secretory pinealocytes [32], as are the pinopsin-related G proteins [33]. Since the nerve cells do not exhibit immunoreactivity for pinopsin [32] and since photoreceptor cells are well known for not producing action potentials, we hypothesize that the cells described here are nerve cells and that their firing is influenced by the photopigment-containing pinealocytes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The pineal photopigment pinopsin [30,31] is exclusively present in the outer segments of secretory pinealocytes [32], as are the pinopsin-related G proteins [33]. Since the nerve cells do not exhibit immunoreactivity for pinopsin [32] and since photoreceptor cells are well known for not producing action potentials, we hypothesize that the cells described here are nerve cells and that their firing is influenced by the photopigment-containing pinealocytes. In agreement with this hypothesis are the findings that the spiking cells and the nerve cells are both rare and that nerve cells have been demonstrated in the chick pineal gland as early as 3 days after hatching [34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Single-cell recordings from chick pineal glands in vitro reveal ultradian and circadian oscillations

Schenda

Vollrath

2000

CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci.

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Evidence is clear that each melatonin-producing cell in the chick pineal gland contains a circadian oscillator that continues to function in vitro, resulting in a prominent day/night rhythm of melatonin secretion. The aim of the present investigation was to examine whether the circadian organization of the gland has an electrophysiological correlate. To this end, single-cell recordings were made from isolated chick pineal glands kept in vitro under a light/dark cycle of 12:12 h, identical to that of the donors, or under continuous light or darkness. In all the glands investigated, a very small percentage of cells exhibited sodium-dependent spontaneous spike activity with a mean frequency below 10 Hz. The cells revealed rhythms with periods in the 15- to 60-min range and, additionally, exhibited ultradian and circadian rhythms in firing, with periods of 10.75+/-1.06 h and 26.25+/-1.26 h (mean +/- standard deviation), respectively. Most of the cells exhibited circadian rhythms with higher activity during daytime than at night, showing that the electrical activity and melatonin rhythm were out of phase. Under constant light or darkness, the circadian rhythm persisted. When the light/dark cycle of the donors was phase-advanced by 5 h, the cells revealed complete entrainment. We discuss whether the cells, albeit small in number, could function as a secondary ultradian/circadian oscillator contributing to the ultradian/circadian organization of the gland.

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“…Three types of pineal photoreceptors have been identified immunocyto-chemically Hirunagi et al, 1997;Okano et al, 1997;Yamao et al, 1999). A previous study indicates that differentiation of rhodopsin-IR and iodopsin-IR cells is controlled by different environmental cues (Araki, 1997); conditioned medium from cerebral cortical cultures of the chick embryo considerably enhanced differentiation of rhodopsin-IR cells but had no effect on iodopsin-IR cells.…”

Section: Synergistic Effects Of Igf-1 and Egf On Pineal Photoreceptormentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The endocrinal properties of the chick pineal begin to appear only at the late stage of development (Zeman et al, 1999;Faluhelyi et al, 2005). Previous immunocytochemical studies have shown that developing pineals of the quail embryo contain three types of photoreceptors as revealed by specific antibodies against rhodopsin, iodopsin, or pinopsin Hirunagi et al, 1997;Yamao et al, 1999). Pinopsin-immunoreactive (pinopsin-IR) cells predominate, and iodopsin-IR cells and rhodopsin-IR cells are rather minor cell types.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Differential enhancement of neural and photoreceptor cell differentiation of cultured pineal cells by FGF‐1, IGF‐1, and EGF

Araki

Suzuki

Layer

2007

Developmental Neurobiology

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There are several common features between the pineal organ and the lateral eye in their developmental and evolutionary aspects. The avian pineal is a photoendocrine organ that originates from the diencephalon roof and represents a transitional type between the photosensory organ of lower vertebrates and the endocrine gland of mammals. Previous cell culture studies have shown that embryonic avian pineal cells retain a wide spectrum of differentiative capacities, although little is known about the mechanisms involved in their fate determination. In the present study, we investigated the effects of various cell growth factors on the differentiation of photoreceptor and neural cell types using pineal cell cultures from quail embryos. The results show that IGF-1 promotes differentiation of rhodopsin-immunoreactive cells, but had no effect on neural cell differentiation. Simultaneous administration of EGF and IGF-1 further enhanced differentiation of rhodopsin-immunoreactive cells, although the mechanism of the synergistic effect is unknown. FGF-1 did not stimulate proliferation of neural progenitor cells, but intensively promoted and maintained expression of a neural cell phenotype. FGF-1 appeared to lead to the conversion from an epithelial (endocrinal) to a neuronal type. It also enhanced phenotypic expression of retinal ganglion cell markers but rather suppressed expression of an amacrine cell marker. These results indicate that growth factors are important regulatory cues for pineal cell differentiation and suggest that they play roles in determining the fate of the pineal organ and the eye. It can be speculated that the differences in environmental cues between the retina and pineal may result in the transition of the pineal primordium from a potentially ocular (retinal) organ to a photoendocrine organ.

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Immunoelectron-microscopic investigation of the subcellular localization of pinopsin in the pineal organ of the chicken

Cited by 21 publications

References 27 publications

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Clockwork blue: on the evolution of non-image-forming retinal photoreceptors in marine and terrestrial vertebrates

Single-cell recordings from chick pineal glands in vitro reveal ultradian and circadian oscillations

Differential enhancement of neural and photoreceptor cell differentiation of cultured pineal cells by FGF‐1, IGF‐1, and EGF

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