In the forty years since melatonin's isolation and characterization, a large and multifaceted database has accrued. This book documents the diverse research contributions of most of the major laboratories in the field of melatonin research, as presented in a special conference to mark the 40 year anniversary of the isolation and chemical identification of this hormone. In addition, many chapters by younger scientists provide an exciting glimpse of where melatonin research is heading in the future.

Inhalt

1. Melatonin - without the hype. 2. Serotonin N-acetyltransferase: a personal historical perspective. 3. Evolution of melatonin-producing pinealocytes. 4. Melatonin biosynthesis in chicken retina.5. Ultraviolet light suppresses melatonin biosynthesis in chick pineal gland. 6. Effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide and histamine on melatonin and cAMP production in chick embryo pineal cells. 7. Ceramide inhibits L-type calcium channel currents in rat pinealocytes. 8. Expression of melatonin receptors and 2-(125I)Iodomelatonin binding sites in the pituitary of a teleost fish. 9. Melatonin release from the pineals of two sparids. 10. Photoendocrine signal transduction in pineal photoreceptors of the trout. 11. Intrinsic glutaminergic system negatively regulates melatonin synthesis in mammalian pineal gland. 12. Synaptic vesicle protein SV2B, but not SV2A, is predominantly expressed and associated with microvesicles in rat pinealocytes. 13. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and NPY receptors in the rat pineal gland. 14. Signal transduction in the rodent pineal organ. 15. Regulation of melatonin synthesis in the ovine pineal gland. 16. Melatonin modulation of prolactin and gonadotrophin secretion. 17. The Siberian hamster as a model for study of the mammalian photoperiodic mechanism. 18. How does the melatonin receptor decode a photoperiodic signal in the pars tuberalis? 19. Daily and circadian expression patterns of mt1 melatonin receptor mRNA in the rat pars tuberalis. 20. Molecular pharmacology and function of melatonin receptor subtypes. 36 more chapters.