Melatonin signaling controls circadian swimming behavior in marine zooplankton

Summary Melatonin, the “hormone of darkness,” is a key regulator of vertebrate circadian physiology and behavior. Despite its ubiquitous presence in Metazoa, the function of melatonin signaling outside vertebrates is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of melatonin signaling on circad...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Tosches, Maria Antonietta (VerfasserIn) , Bucher, Daniel (VerfasserIn) , Arendt, Detlev (VerfasserIn)
Dokumenttyp: Article (Journal)
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: September 25, 2014
In: Cell
Year: 2014, Jahrgang: 159, Heft: 1, Pages: 46-57
ISSN:1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2014.07.042
Online-Zugang:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.07.042
Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867414009921
Volltext
Verfasserangaben:Maria Antonietta Tosches, Daniel Bucher, Pavel Vopalensky, and Detlev Arendt
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Summary Melatonin, the “hormone of darkness,” is a key regulator of vertebrate circadian physiology and behavior. Despite its ubiquitous presence in Metazoa, the function of melatonin signaling outside vertebrates is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of melatonin signaling on circadian swimming behavior in a zooplankton model, the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. We find that melatonin is produced in brain photoreceptors with a vertebrate-type opsin-based phototransduction cascade and a light-entrained clock. Melatonin released at night induces rhythmic burst firing of cholinergic neurons that innervate locomotor-ciliated cells. This establishes a nocturnal behavioral state by modulating the length and the frequency of ciliary arrests. Based on our findings, we propose that melatonin signaling plays a role in the circadian control of ciliary swimming to adjust the vertical position of zooplankton in response to ambient light.
Beschreibung:Gesehen am 05.05.2017
Beschreibung:Online Resource
ISSN:1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2014.07.042