Melatonin, the major hormone produced by the pineal gland, displays characteristic daily
and seasonal patterns of secretion. These robust and predictable rhythms in circulating …

Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase controls daily changes in melatonin production by the
pineal gland and thereby plays a unique role in biological timing in vertebrates …

The function of ASR (ABA [abscisic acid]-, stress-, and ripening-induced) proteins remains
unknown. A grape ASR, VvMSA, was isolated by means of a yeast one-hybrid approach …

In the mammalian pineal gland, information on environmental lighting conditions that is
neuronally encoded by the retina is converted into nocturnally elevated synthesis of the …

The pineal gland plays an essential role in vertebrate chronobiology by converting time into
a hormonal signal, melatonin, which is always elevated at night. Here we have analyzed the …

A theory is presented that explains the evolution of the pinealocyte from the common
ancestral photoreceptor of both the pinealocyte and retinal photoreceptor. Central to the …

The defining feature of the pineal gland is the capacity to function as a melatonin factory that
operates on a∼ 24 h schedule, reflecting the unique synthetic capacities of the pinealocyte …

Abstract Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) biosynthesis in plants is induced by
darkness and high-intensity light; however, the underlying transcriptional mechanisms and …

Otx2 is a vertebrate homeobox gene, which has been found to be essential for the
development of rostral brain regions and appears to play a role in the development of retinal …

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors that regulate developmental processes;
however, in the pineal gland, a neuroendocrine organ responsible for nocturnal melatonin …