PMID: 19936310Nov 26, 2009Paper

Melatonin receptor expression in Xenopus laevis surface corneal epithelium: diurnal rhythm of lateral membrane localization.

Molecular Vision
Allan F WiechmannJody A Summers Rada

Abstract

Melatonin receptors are seven-pass G protein-coupled receptors located in many tissues throughout the body, including the corneal epithelium (CE), and relay circadian signals to the target cells. The purpose of this study was to determine more precisely the cellular distribution of the melatonin receptors in the surface cells of the CE of Xenopus laevis, and to examine the relative distribution of melatonin receptor subtype expression at different times during the circadian cycle. Cryostat sections and whole corneas of adult Xenopus laevis were processed for immunocytochemistry using antibodies specific for each of the three melatonin receptor subtypes (Mel1a, Mel1b, and Mel1c). For the circadian studies, corneas were obtained from euthanized frogs at 4-h intervals during a 24-h period under a 12 h:12 h light-dark cycle. Double-label immunocytochemistry was performed using a Mel1a antibody in combination with antibodies against Mel1b, Mel1c, or the zonula occludens protein ZO-1. Corneal whole-mount specimens and corneal sections were analyzed by laser-scanning confocal microscopy. All three melatonin receptor subtypes were expressed on the surface and sub-superficial layer of CE cells, but with different sub-cellular distributi...Continue Reading

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