The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a monolayer of post-mitotic polarized epithelial cells,
strategically situated between the photoreceptors and the choroid, is the primary caretaker of …

Melatonin is a neurohormone known to modulate a wide range of circadian functions,
including sleep. The synthesis and release of melatonin from the pineal gland is heavily …

AG protein-coupled receptor for the pineal hormone melatonin was recently cloned from
mammals and designated the Mel1a melatonin receptor. We now report the cloning of a …

Vanecek, Jiri. Cellular Mechanisms of Melatonin Action. Physiol. Rev. 78: 687–721, 1998.—
The pineal hormone melatonin is involved in photic regulations of various kinds, including …

A pre-requisite to understanding the physiological mechanisms of action of melatonin is the
identification of the target sites where the hormone acts. The radioligand 2-[125 I] …

Melatonin, a hormone originally discovered in the pineal gland1, has also been found in the
retina of several vertebrate species2–5. The enzyme system for melatonin synthesis also …

Circadian clocks are self-sustaining genetically based molecular machines that impose∼
24h rhythmicity on physiology and behavior that synchronize these functions with the solar …

Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy in which retinal ganglion cells die probably through an
apoptotic process. Apoptosis is known to involve free radicals in several systems including …

My first introduction to the eye came more than three decades ago when my close friend and
mentor, the late Professor Isaac C. Michaelson, convinced me that studying the biochemistry …

During the mid 1960's, Richard Young initiated a series of experiments that ultimately led to
the concept of photoreceptor renewal. 1" 3 I was fortunate to have joined his laboratory as a …