Abstract
MELATONIN, isolated by Lerner et al. in 19581 from bovine pineal glands, is the most potent agent known that makes the amphibian melanocytes lighter in colour2. The physiological role of this compound in mammals3,4, as well as its presence in the epiphysis of lower vertebrates5, has been the subject of many recent investigations. It is hard to prove the presence of melatonin in pineal tissues of various origin because it is usually present in these glands only in extremely small quantities. Investigations of the biosynthesis of melatonin offered new possibilities to demonstrate this compound in an indirect way. The presence of the synthesizing enzyme, 5-hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferase, in homogenates of pineal glands of the rat6 and the hen7 would indirectly indicate the presence of melatonin in the epiphyses of these species. Another indirect method for demonstrating melatonin in Amphibia has been described by Charlton5, who demonstrated an accumulation of labelled precursors of this compound in the epiphysis of Xenopus laevis.
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References
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VAN DE VEERDONK, F. Separation Method for Melatonin in Pineal Extracts. Nature 208, 1324–1325 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/2081324a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2081324a0
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