Photic regulation of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferasel mRNA in trout retina

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Abstract
Melatonin production in the pineal organ and retina is controlled by both light-dark cycles and a circadian clock via the oscillating activity of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) in most vertebrates. However, this clock regulation is absent in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) pineal organ: the trout has two different AANAT genes (AANATI and AANAT2), and AANAT2 mRNA levels in the pineal organ did not exhibit circadian oscillation In this study, we confirmed by RT-PCR analysis that AANATI is expressed only in the retina, while AANAT2 is expressed in the pineal organ and brain. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that AANATI mRNA levels in the retina exhibited daily variations with high levels during the dark phase under light-dark cycles, but kept high and low titers under constant darkness and constant light, respectively. Thus, AANATI gene expression in the trout retina is regulated not by a circadian clock but by lighting conditions.

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