Influences of light-dark (LD) cycle and moonlight exposure on plasma melatonin rhythms in the seagrass rabbitfish, Siganus canaliculatus, a lunar synchronized spawner, were determined by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA). When the fish were exposed to a natural LD (12:12) cycle, plasma melatonin levels exhibited a clear daily rhythm, with higher levels at midnight and lower levels during the day. These rhythms were not evident under either constant light (LL) or constant dark (DD) conditions. Plasma melatonin levels under LL condition were low and high under DD condition. These results indicate that plasma melatonin rhythms are driven by LD cycle in this species. When the fish were exposed to the 4 lunar phases, plasma melatonin levels around the new moon were significantly higher than during the first quarter moon and the full moon. Exposure to experimentalnewmoonand full moonconditions caused significant increases and decreases of plasma melatonin levels, respectively. The synchronous rhythmicity of melatonin levels in the plasma support the hypothesis that the seagrass rabbitfish perceives moonlight intensity and responds with secretion of melatonin into the bloodstream.
Bittman EL (1984) Melatonin and photoperiodic time measurement: Evidence from rodents and ruminants. In The Pineal Gland, Reiter RJ, ed, pp155-192, New York, Raven.
2.
Brainard GC, Richardson BA, Hurlbut EC, Steinlechner S, Matthews SA, and Reiter RJ (1984a) The influence of various irradiances of artificial light, twilight, and moonlight on the suppression of pineal melatonin content in the Syrian hamster. J Pineal Res1:105-119.
3.
Brainard GC, Richardson BA, King TS, and Reiter RJ (1984b) The influence of different light spectra on the suppression of pineal melatonin content in the Syrian hamster. Brain Res294:333-339.
4.
Cardinali DP, Larin F, and Wurtman RJ (1972a) Action spectra for effects of light on hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferases in rat pineal, retina and Harderian gland. Endocrinology91:877-886.
5.
CardinaliDP, Larin F, andWurtman RJ (1972b) Control of the rat pineal gland by light spectra. Proc Natl Acad SciUSA69:2003-2005.
6.
Duray MN (1990) Biology and Culture of Siganids. Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Philippines.
7.
Ekström P and Meissl H (1997) The pineal organ of teleost fishes. Rev Fish Biol Fisher7:199-284.
8.
Falcón J and Collin JP (1989) Photoreceptors in the pineal of lower vertebrates: Functional aspects. Experientia45:909-913.
9.
Falcón J and Collin JP (1991) Pineal-retinal relationship: Rhythmic biosynthesis and immunocytochemical localization of melatonin in the retina of the pike (Esox lucius). Cell Tissue Res265:601-609.
10.
Falcón J, Thibault C, Begay V, Zachmann A, and Collin JP (1992) Regulation of the rhythmic melatonin secretion by fish pineal photoreceptor cells. In Rhythms in Fishes, NATO ASI Series A: Life Sciences, Ali MA, ed, vol 236, pp 27-37, New York, Plenum.
11.
Foster SA (1987) Diel and lunar patterns of reproduction in the Caribbean and Pacific sergeant major damselfishes Abudefduf saxatilisand A. troschelii. Mar Biol95:333-343.
12.
García-Allegue R, Madrid JA, and Sánchez-Vázquez FJ (2001) Melatonin rhythms in European seabass plasma and eye: Influence of seasonal photoperiod and water temperature. J Pineal Res31:68-75.
13.
Gerkema MP (1992) Biological rhythms: Mechanisms and adaptive values. In Rhythms in Fishes, NATO ASI Series A: Life Sciences, Ali MA, ed, vol 236, pp 27-37, New York, Plenum.
14.
Gern WA and Ralph CA (1979) Melatonin synthesis by the retina. Science204:183-184.
15.
Harahap AP, Takemura A, Nakamura S, Rahman MS, and Takano K (2001) Histological evidence of lunarsynchronized ovarian development and spawning in the spiny rabbitfish, Siganus spinus(Linnaeus), around the Ryukyus. Fisheries Sci65:888-893.
16.
Hattar S, Lucas RJ, Mrosovsky N, Thompson S, Douglas RN, HankinsMW, Lem J, Blel M, Hotmann F, Foster RG, et al. (2003) Melanopsin and rod-cone photoreceptive systems account for all major accessory visual functions in mice. Nature424:76-81.
17.
Hoque MM, Takemura A, Matsuyama M, Matsuura S, and TakanoK(1999) Lunar spawning in Siganus canaliculatus. J Fish Biol55:1213-1222.
18.
Iigo M, Furukawa K, Hattori A, Ohtani-Kaneko R, Hara M, Suzuki T, Tabata M, and Aida K (1997a) Ocular melatonin rhythms in the goldfish, Carassius auratus. J Biol Rhythms12:182-192.
19.
Iigo M, Kitamura S, Ikuta K, Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, Ohtani- Kaneko R, Hara M, Hirata K, Tabata M, and AidaK(1998) Regulation by light and darkness of melatonin secretion from the superfused masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) pineal organ. Biol Rhythm Res29:86-97.
20.
Iigo M, Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, Madrid JA, Zamora S, and Tabata M (1997b) Unusual responses to light and darkness of ocular melatonin in European seabass. Neuroreport8:1631-1635.
21.
Iigo M, Sato M, Ikeda E, Kawasaki S, Noguchi F, and NishiG (2003) Effects of photic environment on ocular melatonin contents in a labrid teleost, the wrasse Halichoeres tenuispinnis. Gen Comp Endocrinol133:252-259.
22.
Johannes RE (1978) Reproductive strategies of coastal marine fishes in the tropics. Environ Biol Fish3:65-84.
23.
Kezuka H, Furukawa K, Aida K, and Hanyu I (1988) Daily cycles in plasma melatonin levels under long or short photoperiod in the common carp, Cyprinus carpio. Gen Comp Endocrinol72:296-302.
24.
Kezuka H, Iigo M, Furukawa K, and Hanyu I (1992) Effects of photoperiod and opthalectomy on circulating melatonin rhythms in the goldfish, Carassius auratus. Zool Sci9:1047-1053.
25.
Leatherland JF, Farbridge KJ, and Boujard T (1992) Lunar and semi-lunar rhythms in fishes. In Rhythms in Fishes, NATO ASI Series A: Life Sciences, Ali MA, ed, vol 236, pp 83-107, New York, Plenum.
26.
Lerchl A, Zachmann A, Ali MA, and Reiter RJ (1998) The effects of pulsing magnetic field of pineal melatonin synthesis in a teleost fish (Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis). Neurosci Lett256:171-173.
27.
Lockley SW, Brainard GC, and Czeisler CA(2003) High sensitivity of the human circadian melatonin rhythm to resetting by short wavelength light. J Clin Endocrinol Metab88:4502-4505.
28.
Martínez-Soriano F, Ruiz-Torner A, Armañanzas E, and Valverde-Navarro AA (2002) Influence of light/dark, seasonal and lunar cycles on serum melatonin levels and synaptic bodies number of the pineal gland of the rat. Histol Histopathol17:213-222.
29.
Max Mand Menaker M(1992) Regulation of melatonin production by light, darkness, and temperature in the trout pineal. J Comp Physiol170B:479-489.
30.
Meissl Hand Brandstätter R (1992) Photoreceptive function of the teleost pineal organ and their implications in biological rhythms. In Rhythms in Fishes, NATOASI Series A: Life Sciences, Ali MA, ed, vol 236, pp 235-254, New York, Plenum.
31.
Mustanoja SM, Hatonen T, Alila-Johansson A, and Laakso ML (1999) Supersensitivity with reduced capacity for pineal melatonin synthesis in constant light-treated rats. J Neural Transm106:645-655.
32.
Okimoto DK and Stetson, MH (1999) Presence of an intrapineal circadian oscillator in the teleostean family poeciliidae. Gen Comp Endocrinol114:304-312.
33.
Pearse JS (1990) Lunar reproductive rhythms in marine invertebrate: Maximizing fertilization? In Advances in Invertebrate Reproduction 5, Hoshi M, Yamashita O, eds, pp 311-316, New York, Elsevier Science.
34.
Porter MJR, Duncan NJ, Handeland SO, Stefansson SO, and Bromage NR (2001a) Temperature, light intensity and plasma melatonin levels in juvenile Atlantic salmon. J Fish Biol58:431-438.
35.
Porter MJR, Duncan NJ, Mitchell D, and BromageNR (1999) The use of cage lighting to reduce plasma melatonin in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and its effects on the inhibition of grilsing. Aquaculture176:237-244.
36.
Porter MJR, Randall CF, Bromage NR, and Thrope JE (1998) The role of melatonin and the pineal gland of the development and somaltification of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr. Aquaculture168:139-155.
37.
Porter MJR, Stefansson SO, Nyhammer G, Karlsen Ø, Norberg B, and Bromage NR (2001b) Environmental influences on melatonin secretion in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhuaL.) and their relevance to commercial culture. Fish Physiol Biochem23:191-200.
38.
Provencio I and FosterRG(1995).Circadian rhythms in mice can be regulated by photoreceptors with cone-like characteristics. Brain Res694:183-190.
39.
Rahman MS, Morita M, Takemura A, and Takano K (2003a) Hormonal changes in relation to lunar periodicity in the testis of the forktail rabbitfish, Siganus argenteus. Gen Comp Endocrinol131:302-309.
40.
Rahman MS, Takemura A, and Takano K (1999) Lunar synchronization of gonadal development, and changes in plasma levels of gonadal steroids and vitellogenin in the golden rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus. InProceeding of the 6th International Symposium on the Reproductive Physiology of Fish, Norberg B, Kjesbu OS, Taranger GL, Anderson E, Stefansson SO, eds, p 180-180Bergen, Norway.
41.
RahmanMS, Takemura A, and TakanoK(2000a) Correlation between plasma steroid hormones and vitellogenin profiles and lunar periodicity in the female golden rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus(Bloch). Comp Biochem Physiol127B:113-122.
42.
Rahman MS, Takemura A, and Takano K (2000b) Lunar synchronization of testicular development and plasma steroid hormone profiles in the golden rabbitfish. J Fish Biol57:1065-1074.
43.
Rahman MS, Takemura A, and Takano K (2002) Lunar synchronization of in vitrosteroidogenesis in ovaries of the golden rabbitfish, Siganus guttatus(Bloch). Gen Comp Endocrinol125:1-8.
44.
Rahman MS, Takemura A, Nakamura S, and Takano K (2003b) Rhythmic changes in testicular activity with lunar cycle in the forktail rabbitfish. J Fish Biol62:495-499.
45.
Rahman MS, Takemura A, and Park YJ (2003c) Expression of melatonin receptor mRNA in the brain of the golden rabbitfish with change in the moon phase. In 1st World Congress of Chronobiology (Program & Abstracts), p 46-46, Sapporo, Japan.
46.
Randall CF, Bromage NR, Thrope JE, Miles MS, and Muir JS (1995) Melatonin rhythms in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) maintained under natural and out-of-phase photoperiods. Gen Comp Endocrinol98:73-86.
47.
Reiter JR (1991a) Pineal gland: Interface between the photoperiodic environment and the endocrine system. Trends Endocrinol Metab2:13-19.
48.
Reiter JR (1991b) Pineal melatonin cell biology of its synthesis and of its physiological interaction. Endocrine Rev12:151-180.
49.
Robertson DR, Petersen CW, and Brawn JD (1990) Lunar reproductive cycles of benthic-brooding reef fishes: Reflections of larval biology or adult biology?Ecol Monogr60:311-329.
50.
Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, Iigo M, Madrid JA, Zamora S, and Tabata M (1997) Daily cycles in plasma and ocular melatonin in demand-fed sea bass Dientrarchus labraxL. J Comp Physiol167B:409-415.
51.
Takemura A, Susilo ES, Rahman MS, and Morita M (2003).Moonlight perception and utilization by rabbitfish, a lunar-synchronized spawner. In 1st World Congress of Chronobiology (Program& Abstracts), p46-46, Sapporo, Japan.
52.
Taylor MH (1984) Lunar synchronization of fish reproduction. Trans Am Fish Soc113:484-493.
53.
Thorington L (1980) Actinic effects of light and biological implications. Photochem Photobiol32:117-129.
54.
Vanëcek Jand Illnerova H (1982) Night pineal Nacetyltransferase activity in rats exposed to white or red light pulses of various intensity and duration. Experientia38:1318-1320.
55.
Yamada H, Chiba H, Amano M, Iigo M, and IwataM(2002) Rainbow trout eyed-stage embryos demonstrate melatonin rhythms under light-dark conditions as measured by a newly developed time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. Gen Comp Endocrinol125:41-46.
56.
Yamada H, Satoh R, Yamashita T, Kambegawa A, and Iwata M (1997) Development of a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) for testosterone: Measurement of serum testosterone concentrations after testosterone treatment in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Gen Comp Endocrinol106:181-188.
57.
Yu H, Tsin ATC, and Reiter RJ (1993) Melatonin: History, biosynthesis, and assay methodology. In Melatonin: Biosynthesis, Physiological Effects, and Clinical Application, YuH, Reiter RJ, eds, pp1-16, Boca Raton, FL, CRCPress.
58.
ZachmannA, AliMA, and Falcón J (1992a) Melatonin and its effects in fishes: Anoverview. In Rhythms in Fishes, NATO ASI Series A: Life Sciences, Ali, MA, ed, vol 236, pp 149-165, New York, Plenum.
59.
Zachmann A, Falcón J, Knijff SCM, Bolliet V, and Ali MA (1992b) Effects of photoperiod and temperature on rhythmic melatonin secretion from the pineal organ of the white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) in vitro. Gen Comp Endocrinol86:26-33.
60.
Zachmann A, Knijff SCM, Bolliet V, Ali MA, and Anctil M (1991) Effects of photoperiod and different intensities of light exposure on melatonin levels in the blood, pineal organ, and retina of the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalisMitchill). Can J Zool70:25-29.
