TY - JOUR A1 - Schwarzenberger, Anke A1 - Wacker, Alexander T1 - Melatonin synthesis follows a daily cycle in Daphnia JF - Journal of plankton research N2 - In freshwater systems, Daphnia has been demonstrated to show adaptive responses following the light-dark cycle. The adjustment of these responses to the change of day and night is probably transmitted via the hormone melatonin. The rate-limiting enzyme in melatonin synthesis is the arylalkylamine N-transferase (AANAT). We identified three genes coding for insect-like AANATs in Daphnia, of which we measured the gene expression in an ecologically relevant light-dark cycle. We demonstrated that Daphnia's insect-like AANAT gene expression oscillated in a daily manner, and that the highest peak of expression after the onset of darkness was followed by a peak of melatonin production at midnight. Moreover, we could show an oscillation of endogenous melatonin synthesis in Daphnia. In most organisms, melatonin synthesis is due to rhythmic expression of genes of the circadian clock, since transcription of aanats is directly linked to a circadian transcription factor. We could demonstrate that putative clock genes and insect-like AANAT genes of Daphnia were equally expressed. Therefore, we propose that melatonin synthesis is coupled to the expression of Daphnia clock genes, and that insect-like AANATs of crustaceans have a similar function as AANATs of vertebrates: The initiation of melatonin synthesis. In future studies with Daphnia, it will be necessary to take the time of day into account since melatonin concentrations might influence stress responses. KW - arylalkylamine N-transferase KW - insect-like AANAT KW - qPCR KW - circadian clock KW - clock genes Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbv029 SN - 0142-7873 SN - 1464-3774 VL - 37 IS - 3 SP - 636 EP - 644 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogt, Julia H. M. A1 - Schippers, Jos H. M. T1 - Setting the PAS, the role of circadian PAS domain proteins during environmental adaptation in plants JF - Frontiers in plant science N2 - The per-ARNT-sim (PAS) domain represents an ancient protein module that can be found across all kingdoms of life. The domain functions as a sensing unit for a diverse array of signals, including molecular oxygen, small metabolites, and light. In plants, several PAS domain-containing proteins form an integral part of the circadian clock and regulate responses to environmental change. Moreover, these proteins function in pathways that control development and plant stress adaptation responses. Here, we discuss the role of PAS domain-containing proteins in anticipation, and adaptation to environmental changes in plants. KW - PAS domain KW - circadian clock KW - signal transduction KW - environmental stress response KW - growth adaptation Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00513 SN - 1664-462X VL - 6 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne ER - TY - GEN A1 - Vogt, Julia H. M. A1 - Schippers, Jos H. M. T1 - Setting the PAS, the role of circadian PAS domain proteins during environmental adaptation in plants T2 - Frontiers in plant science N2 - The per-ARNT-sim (PAS) domain represents an ancient protein module that can be found across all kingdoms of life. The domain functions as a sensing unit for a diverse array of signals, including molecular oxygen, small metabolites, and light. In plants, several PAS domain-containing proteins form an integral part of the circadian clock and regulate responses to environmental change. Moreover, these proteins function in pathways that control development and plant stress adaptation responses. Here, we discuss the role of PAS domain-containing proteins in anticipation, and adaptation to environmental changes in plants. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 430 KW - PAS domain KW - circadian clock KW - signal transduction KW - environmental stress response KW - growth adaptation Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-406492 ER -