PUBLICATION
Melatonin promotes sleep-like state in zebrafish(1)
- Authors
- Zhdanova, I.V., Wang, S.Y., Leclair, O.U., and Danilova, N.P.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-010601-2
- Date
- 2001
- Source
- Brain research 903(1-2): 263-268 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Danilova, Nadia, Leclair, Ojingwa, Zhdanova, Irina
- Keywords
- melatonin; sleep; zebrafish; receptor; benzodiazepine; barbiturate
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Anticonvulsants/pharmacology*
- Diazepam/pharmacology
- Hypnotics and Sedatives/pharmacology
- Melatonin/pharmacology*
- Motor Activity/drug effects
- Pentobarbital/pharmacology
- Sleep/drug effects*
- Species Specificity
- Zebrafish/physiology*
- PubMed
- 11382414 Full text @ Brain Res.
Citation
Zhdanova, I.V., Wang, S.Y., Leclair, O.U., and Danilova, N.P. (2001) Melatonin promotes sleep-like state in zebrafish(1). Brain research. 903(1-2):263-268.
Abstract
The sleep-promoting effect of the pineal hormone melatonin in humans is known for decades. However, the mechanisms of this phenomenon remain obscure, mainly due to lack of a simple, genetically tractable, animal model. We now report that melatonin promotes sleep-like state in a diurnal lower vertebrate, zebrafish (Danio rerio), and this effect is mediated through activation of specific melatonin membrane receptors. Furthermore, our data show that the sleep-like state in zebrafish has fundamental similarities with sleep in mammals, including characteristic postures, elevated arousal threshold to sensory stimulation and a compensatory rest rebound following rest deprivation, and can be induced by conventional hypnotics, diazepam and sodium pentobarbital. Collectively, these data indicate that melatonin is evolutionary conserved sleep-promoting agent in diurnal species and suggest that zebrafish provide an efficient animal model for studying the molecular mechanisms of sleep regulation and for screening new types of hypnotic medications.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping