Abstract
Photoperiod exerts profound influence on the physiology of mammals through the action of melatonin on the neuroendocrine system. Over the last 20 years, studies have moved away from a melatonin receptor-focused approach to understanding how photoperiod regulates neuroendocrine activity through studies of downstream effects on gene expression. This paper reviews the recent progress made in our understanding of the effects of photoperiod on gene expression in the hypothalamus, and considers how this new information can be reconciled with the species-specific location of melatonin receptors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 820-826 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Neuroendocrinology |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2008 |
Keywords
- melatonin
- thyroid
- retinoid
- parstuberalis
- kisspeptin
- prolactin
- type-2 deiodinase gene
- ovine pars tuberalis
- luteinizing-hormone secretion
- inactivating enzyme genes
- male Syrian-hamsters
- retinoid-x-receptor
- mediobasal hypothalamus
- arcuate nucleus
- pituitary-gland
- binding-sites