Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1975 Apr;72(4):1415–1419. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.4.1415

Circadian rhythm of tyrosine hydroxylase induction by short-term cold stress: modulatory action of glucocorticoids in newborn and adult rats.

U Otten, H Thoenen
PMCID: PMC432545  PMID: 236560

Abstract

The trans-synaptic induction of tyrosine hydroxylase [tyrosine 3-monooxygenase; EC 1.14.16.2, L-tyrosine, tetrahydropteridine: oxygen oxidoreductase (3-hydroxylating)] in adrenal medulla and sympathetic ganglia by short-term (1-2 hr) cold stress (4 degrees) exhibits a circadian rhythm which seems to be causally related to the diurnal changes in adrenal glucocorticoid synthesis. In induction is maximal during the morning hours, when plasma corticoid concentrations (reflecting corticoid synthesis in the adrenal cortex) are minimal. In contrast, initiation of tyrosine hydroxylase induction in sympathetic ganglia is only possible in the afternoon. These observations suggest that tyrosine hydroxylase inducibility in the adrenal medulla is optimal during periods of low corticoid synthesis (the adrenal medulla is exposed to excessively high corticoid concentrations directly originating from the adjacent cortex), whereas in sympathetic ganglia an induction is only possible during the period of high plasma corticoid concentrations. This assumption is supported by the observation that in the first postnatal weeks, when the pituitary--adrenocortical system is not yet operating and plasma corticoid concentrations are low, initiation of tyrosine hydroxylase induction in the adrenal medulla is possible at any time of the day, whereas in sympathetic ganglia it is not possible at all. However, after administration of glycocorticoids initiation of tyrosine hydroxylase induction by short-term cold stress is also possible in newborn animals and in adults during the morning hours. The importance of glucocorticoids as modulators for the initiation of trans-synaptic tyrosine hydroxylase induction can also be deduced from the observation that in sympathetic ganglia kept in organ cultures and induction of the hydroxylase by cholinomimetics is only possible when glycocorticoids are added to the culture medium.

Full text

PDF
1415

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Guidotti A., Zivkovic B., Pfeiffer R., Costa E. Involvement of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the increase of tyrosine hydroxylase activity elicited by cold exposure. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1973;278(2):195–206. doi: 10.1007/BF00500650. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Hanbauer I., Kopin I. J. Mechanisms involved in the trans-synaptic increase of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in sympathetic ganglia. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1973;280(1):39–48. doi: 10.1007/BF00505353. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Keen P., McLean W. G. Effect of dibutyryl-cyclic AMP and dexamethasone on noradrenaline synthesis in isolated superior cervical ganglia. J Neurochem. 1974 Jan;22(1):5–10. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1974.tb12171.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Kvetnansky R., Weise V. K., Kopin I. J. Elevation of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase by repeated immobilization of rats. Endocrinology. 1970 Oct;87(4):744–749. doi: 10.1210/endo-87-4-744. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Levitt M., Gibb J. W., Daly J. W., Lipton M., Udenfriend S. A new class of tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitors and a simple assay of inhibition in vivo. Biochem Pharmacol. 1967 Jul 7;16(7):1313–1321. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(67)90162-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MAICKEL R. P., WESTERMANN E. O., BRODIE B. B. Effects of reserpine and cold-exposure on pituitary-adrenocortical function in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1961 Nov;134:167–175. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. MATTINGLY D. A simple fluorimetric method for the estimation of free 11-hydroxycorticoids in human plasma. J Clin Pathol. 1962 Jul;15:374–379. doi: 10.1136/jcp.15.4.374. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Molinoff P. B., Axelrod J. Biochemistry of catecholamines. Annu Rev Biochem. 1971;40:465–500. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.40.070171.002341. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mueller R. A., Thoenen H., Axelrod J. Increase in tyrosine hydroxylase activity after reserpine administration. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1969 Sep;169(1):74–79. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ramaley J. A. The changes in basal corticosterone secretion in rats blinded at birth. Experientia. 1974 Jul 15;30(7):827–827. doi: 10.1007/BF01924212. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Thoenen H. Induction of tyrosine hydroxylase in peripheral and central adrenergic neurones by cold-exposure of rats. Nature. 1970 Nov 28;228(5274):861–862. doi: 10.1038/228861a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Thoenen H., Mueller R. A., Axelrod J. Trans-synaptic induction of adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1969 Oct;169(2):249–254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Thoenen H. Neuronally mediated enzyme induction in adrenergic neurons and adrenal chromaffin cells. Biochem Soc Symp. 1972;(36):3–15. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES