:  The human pineal gland is a neuroendocrine transducer that forms an integral part of the brain. Through the nocturnally elevated synthesis and release of the neurohormone melatonin, the pineal gland encodes and disseminates information on circadian time, thus coupling the outside world to the biochemical and physiological internal demands of the body. Approaches to better understand molecular details behind the rhythmic signalling in the human pineal gland are limited but implicitly warranted, as human chronobiological dysfunctions are often associated with alterations in melatonin synthesis. Current knowledge on melatonin synthesis in the human pineal gland is based on minimally invasive analyses, and by the comparison of signalling events between different vertebrate species, with emphasis put on data acquired in sheep and other primates. Together with investigations using autoptic pineal tissue, a remnant silhouette of premortem dynamics within the hormone’s biosynthesis pathway can be constructed. The detected biochemical scenario behind the generation of dynamics in melatonin synthesis positions the human pineal gland surprisingly isolated. In this neuroendocrine brain structure, protein‐protein interactions and nucleo‐cytoplasmic protein shuttling indicate furthermore a novel twist in the molecular dynamics in the cells of this neuroendocrine brain structure. These findings have to be seen in the light that an impaired melatonin synthesis is observed in elderly and/or demented patients, in individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease, Smith–Magenis syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and sleep phase disorders. Already, recent advances in understanding signalling dynamics in the human pineal gland have significantly helped to counteract chronobiological dysfunctions through a proper restoration of the nocturnal melatonin surge.

Hippocampal plasticity and mnemonic processing exhibit a striking time-of-day dependence and likely implicate a temporally structured replay of memory traces. Molecular mechanisms fulfilling the requirements of sensing time and capturing time-related information are coded in dynamics of so-called clock genes and their protein products, first discovered and described in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. Using real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analyses, we show that in wildtype mice core clock components (mPer1/PER1, mPer2/PER2, mCry1/CRY1, mCry2/CRY2, mClock/CLOCK, mBmal1/BMAL1) are expressed in neurons of all subregions of the hippocampus in a time-locked fashion over a 24-h (diurnal) day/night cycle. Temporal profiling of these transcriptional regulators reveals distinct and parallel peaks, at times when memory traces are usually formed and/or consolidated. The coordinated rhythmic expression of hippocampal clock gene expression is greatly disordered in mice deficient for the clock gene mPer1, a key player implicated in both, maintenance and adaptative plasticity of circadian clocks. Moreover, Per1-knockout animals are severely handicapped in a hippocampus-dependent long-term spatial learning paradigm. We propose that the dynamics of hippocampal clock gene expression imprint a temporal structure on memory processing and shape at the same time the efficacy of behavioral learning.

In species ranging from flies to mammals, parameters of memory processing, like acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval are clearly molded by time of day. However, mechanisms that regulate and adapt these temporal differences are elusive, with an involvement of clock genes and their protein products suggestive. Therefore, we analyzed initially in mouse hippocampus the daytime-dependent dynamics of parameters, known to be important for proper memory formation, like phosphorylation of the "memory molecule" cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responsive element binding protein (CREB) and chromatin remodeling. Next, in an effort to characterize the mechanistic role of clock genes within hippocampal molecular dynamics, we compared the results obtained from wildtype (WT) -mice and mice deficient for the archetypical clock gene Period1 (Per1(-/-) -mice). We detected that the circadian rhythm of CREB phosphorylation in the hippocampus of WT mice disappeared completely in mice lacking Per1. Furthermore, we found that the here for the first time described profound endogenous day/night rhythms in histone modifications in the hippocampus of WT-mice are markedly perturbed in Per1(-/-) -mice. Concomitantly, both, in vivo recorded LTP, a cellular correlate for long-term memory, and hippocampal gene expression were significantly altered in the absence of Per1. Notably, these molecular perturbations in Per1(-/-) -mice were accompanied by the loss of daytime-dependent differences in spatial working memory performance. Our data provide a molecular blueprint for a novel role of PER1 in temporally shaping the daytime-dependency of memory performance, likely, by gating CREB signaling, and by coupling to downstream chromatin remodeling.

Circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior are driven by a central clock residing within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Molecularly, the biological clock is based on the transcriptional/translational feedback loop of clock genes (mPer, mCry, Clock, and Bmal1). Circadian expression of clock genes is not limited to the SCN, but is found in many peripheral tissues. Peripheral rhythms depend on neuroendocrine/neuronal output from the SCN. Melatonin, the hormone of darkness, represents an important neuroendocrine output of the circadian clock. The hypophyseal pars tuberalis (PT) is one of the main target regions for melatonin. The aim of the study was to test whether mPer, mCry, Clock, and Bmal1 are rhythmically expressed in the mouse PT and how the absence of melatonin receptors affects clock gene expression. We analyzed clock gene expression by in situ hybridization and compared wild-type (WT), melatonin 1 receptor knockout (MT1 ko), and melatonin 2 receptor knockout (MT2 ko) mice. mPer1, mCry1, Clock, and Bmal1, but not mPer2 and mCry2, were rhythmically expressed in the PT of WT and MT2 ko mice. In the PT of MT1 ko mice, expression of mPer1, mCry1, Clock, and Bmal1 was dramatically reduced. We conclude that melatonin, acting through the MT1 receptor, is an important regulator of rhythmic clock gene expression in the mouse PT.

Memory performance varies over a 24-h day/night cycle. While the detailed underlying mechanisms are yet unknown, recent evidence suggests that in the mouse hippocampus, rhythmic phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response elementbinding protein (CREB) are central to the circadian (~24 h) regulation of learning and memory. We recently identified the clock protein PERIOD1 (PER1) as a vehicle that translates information encoding time of day to hippocampal plasticity. We here elaborate how PER1 may gate the sensitivity of memoryrelevant hippocampal signaling pathways. We found that in wildtype mice (WT), spatial learning triggers CREB phosphorylation only during the daytime, and that this effect depends on the presence of PER1. The time-of-day-dependent induction of CREB phosphorylation can be reproduced pharmacologically in acute hippocampal slices prepared from WT mice, but is absent in preparations made from Per1-knockout (Per1 À/À ) mice. We showed that the PER1-dependent CREB phosphorylation is regulated downstream of MAPK. Stimulation of WT hippocampal neurons triggered the co-translocation of PER1 and the CREB kinase pP90RSK (pMAPK-activated ribosomal S6 kinase) into the nucleus. In hippocampal neurons from Per1 À/À mice, however, pP90RSK remained perinuclear. A coimmunoprecipitation assay confirmed a high-affinity interaction between PER1 and pP90RSK. Knocking down endogenous PER1 in hippocampal cells inhibited adenylyl cyclase-dependent CREB activation. Taken together, the PER1-dependent modulation of cytoplasmic-to-nuclear signaling in the murine hippocampus provides a molecular explanation for how the circadian system potentially shapes a temporal framework for daytime-dependent memory performance, and adds a novel facet to the versatility of the clock gene protein PER1.

Melatonin provides a rhythmic neuroendocrine output, driven by a central circadian clock that encodes information about phase and length of the night. In the hypophyseal pars tuberalis (PT), melatonin is crucial for rhythmic expression of the clock genes mPer1 and mCry1, and melatonin acting in the PT influences prolactin secretion from the pars distalis. To examine further the possibility of a circadian clockwork functioning in the PT, and the impact of melatonin on this tissue, we assessed circadian clock proteins by immunohistochemistry and compared the diurnal expression in the PT of wild type (WT), and MT1 melatonin receptor-deficient (MT1-/-) mice. While in the PT of WT mice mPER1, mPER2, and mCRY1 showed a pronounced rhythm, mCRY2, CLOCK, and BMAL1 were constitutively present. Despite reported differences in maximal levels and timing of mCry1, mPer1, and mPer2 RNAs, the corresponding protein levels peaked simultaneously during late day, suggesting a codependency for their stabilization and/or nuclear entry. MT1-/- mice had reduced levels of mPER1, mCRY1, CLOCK and BMAL1, consistent with the earlier reported reduction in mRNA expression of these clock genes. Surprisingly, mPER2-immunoreaction was constitutively low, although mPer2 was rhythmically expressed in the PT of MT1-/- mice. This suggests that mPER2 is degraded due to the reduced levels of its stabilizing interaction partners mPER1 and mCRY1. The results show that melatonin, acting through the MT1, determines availability of the circadian proteins mPER1, mPER2 and mCRY1 and thus plays a crucial role in regulating rhythmicity in PT cells.

Mechanisms of hippocampus‐related memory formation are time‐of‐day‐dependent. While the circadian system and clock genes are related to timing of hippocampal mnemonic processes (acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval of long‐term memory [LTM]) and long‐term potentiation (LTP), little is known about temporal gating mechanisms. Here, the role of the neurohormone melatonin as a circadian time cue for hippocampal signaling and memory formation was investigated in C3H/He wildtype (WT) and melatonin receptor‐knockout (MT1/2-false/-) mice. Immunohistochemical and immunoblot analyses revealed the presence of melatonin receptors on mouse hippocampal neurons. Temporal patterns of time‐of‐day‐dependent clock gene protein levels were profoundly altered in MT1/2-false/- mice compared to WT animals. On the behavioral level, WT mice displayed better spatial learning efficiency during daytime as compared to nighttime. In contrast, high error scores were observed in MT1/2-false/- mice during both, daytime and nighttime acquisition. Day‐night difference in LTP, as observed in WT mice, was absent in MT1/2-false/- mice and in WT animals, in which the sympathetic innervation of the pineal gland was surgically removed to erase rhythmic melatonin synthesis. In addition, treatment of melatonin‐deficient C57BL/6 mice with melatonin at nighttime significantly improved their working memory performance at daytime. These results illustrate that melatonin shapes time‐of‐day‐dependent learning efficiency in parallel to consolidating expression patterns of clock genes in the mouse hippocampus. Our data suggest that melatonin imprints a time cue on mouse hippocampal signaling and gene expression to foster better learning during daytime.

Circadian rhythms, generated in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), are synchronized to the environmental day-night changes by photic input. The activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1,2) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-mediated transcription play a critical role in this photoentrainment. The small GTPase Ras is one of the major upstream regulators of the ERK1,2/CREB pathway. In contrast to the well-described role of Ras in structural and functional synaptic plasticity in the adult mouse brain, the physiological regulation of Ras by photic sensory input is yet unknown. Here, we describe for the first time a circadian rhythm of Ras activity in the mouse SCN. Using synRas transgenic mice, expressing constitutively activated V12-Ha-Ras selectively in neurons, we demonstrate that enhanced Ras activation causes shortening of the circadian period length. We found upregulated expression and decreased inhibitory phosphorylation of the circadian period length modulator, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β), in the SCN of synRas mice. Conversely, downregulation of Ras activity by blocking its function with an antibody in oscillating cell cultures reduced protein levels and increased phosphorylation of GSK3β and lengthened the period of BMAL1 promoter-driven luciferase activity. Furthermore, enhanced Ras activity in synRas mice resulted in a potentiation of light-induced phase delays at early subjective night, and increased photic induction of pERK1,2/pCREB and c-Fos. In contrast, at late subjective night, photic activation of Ras/ERK1,2/CREB in synRas mice was not sufficient to stimulate c-Fos protein expression and phase advance the clock. Taken together, our results demonstrate that Ras activity fine tunes the period length and modulates photoentrainment of the circadian clock.