ArticlePLoS biology2012
Circadian-related heteromerization of adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors modulates melatonin synthesis and release in the pineal gland.
Article in PLoS biology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 73 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
73 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 157 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physiological relevance of autocrine melatonin signaling in pineal and extrapineal sites: a systematic review.Function (Oxford, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Genetic determinants of skin ageing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies and candidate genes.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2025Pooled it
- The Role of Vitamin D in Sleep Disorders of Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Association between sleep and meteorology in late-onset depression patients.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Gut Microbiome-Brain Crosstalk in the Early Life of Chicken Reveals the Circadian Regulation of Key Metabolic and Immune Signaling Processes.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Relationship between social jetlag and body mass index in nurses working shift schedules: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Significant Functional Differences Between Dopamine DMolecular neurobiology · 2023Article
- Melatonin as a Potential Approach to Anxiety Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Article
- Hypothalamic A11 Nuclei Regulate the Circadian Rhythm of Spinal Mechanonociception through Dopamine Receptors and Clock Gene Expression.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Functional and pharmacological role of the dopamine DFrontiers in endocrinology · 2022Review
- Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells may disrupt the effects of visual cycle suppression in central serous chorioretinopathy.Arquivos brasileiros de oftalmologia · 2022Article
- Endocannabinoid signaling pathways: beyond CB1R and CB2R.Journal of cell communication and signaling · 2021Review
- Heteromerization between αPharmacological research · 2021Article
- The Effects of Statins on Neurotransmission and Their Neuroprotective Role in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- The effects of seasons and weather on sleep patterns measured through longitudinal multimodal sensing.NPJ digital medicine · 2021Article
- Blood Pressure Regulation Evolved from Basic Homeostatic Components.Biomedicines · 2021Article
- Dopamine in Health and Disease: Much More Than a Neurotransmitter.Biomedicines · 2021Review
- Serotoninergic Modulation of Phototactic Variability Underpins a Bet-Hedging Strategy inFrontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2021Article
- An Examination of the Putative Role of Melatonin in Exosome Biogenesis.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2021Review
13 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The role of the pineal gland is to translate the rhythmic cycles of night and day encoded by the retina into hormonal signals that are transmitted to the rest of the neuronal system in the form of serotonin and melatonin synthesis and release. Here we describe that the production of both melatonin and serotonin by the pineal gland is regulated by a circadian-related heteromerization of adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors. Through α(₁B)-D₄ and β₁-D₄ receptor heteromers dopamine inhibits adrenergic receptor signaling and blocks the synthesis of melatonin induced by adrenergic receptor ligands. This inhibition was not observed at hours of the day when D₄ was not expressed. These data provide a new perspective on dopamine function and constitute the first example of a circadian-controlled receptor heteromer. The unanticipated heteromerization between adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors provides a feedback mechanism for the neuronal hormone system in the form of dopamine to control circadian inputs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.