Thyroid hormone and adrenergic signaling interact to control pineal expression of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (Drd4)

Jong-So Kim, Michael J Bailey, Joan L Weller, David Sugden, Martin F Rath, Morten Møller, David C Klein

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Dopamine plays diverse and important roles in vertebrate biology, impacting behavior and physiology through actions mediated by specific G-protein-coupled receptors, one of which is the dopamine receptor D4 (Drd4). Here we present studies on the >100-fold daily rhythm in rat pineal Drd4 expression. Our studies indicate that Drd4 is the dominant dopamine receptor gene expressed in the pineal gland. The gene is expressed in pinealocytes at levels which are approximately 100-fold greater than in other tissues, except the retina, in which transcript levels are similar. Pineal Drd4 expression is circadian in nature and under photoneural control. Whereas most rhythmically expressed genes in the pineal are controlled by adrenergic/cAMP signaling, Drd4 expression also requires thyroid hormone. This advance raises the questions of whether Drd4 expression is regulated by this mechanism in other systems and whether thyroid hormone controls expression of other genes in the pineal gland.
Original languageEnglish
JournalMolecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Volume314
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)128-35
Number of pages7
ISSN0303-7207
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Thyroid hormone and adrenergic signaling interact to control pineal expression of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (Drd4)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this