MEDIATION OF LIGHT-INDUCED CHANGES IN PINEAL RECEPTOR AND SUPPORTING CELL NUCLEI AND NUCLEOLI IN STEELHEAD TROUT (SALMO GAIRDNERI)

Abstract— Mediation of the chronic effects of differences in environmental illumination on pineal photoreceptor and adjacent supporting cells was studied in two experiments using larval trout. Experiment 1 had 7 groups exposed to controlled lighting conditions for 14 months: (1) constant darkness (DD); (2) natural photocycles (LD) followed by constant light (LL); (3) natural photocycles (LD); (4) LD fluorescent light; (5) LD blue (400–525nm) light; (6) LD green (500–612nm) light; and (7) LD red (600–750 nm) light. In Experiment II the fish were exposed to LL for 27–28 days, following 10 months in DD and one of five surgical manipulations: (1) pineal masked; (2) pineal sham-masked; (3) blinded; (4) blinded + pineal masked; (5) blinded + pineal sham masked.
Nuclei and nucleoli of pineal receptor and supporting cells were largest in fish raised in DD. LL or LD cycles, and light of either narrow or broad spectral range, were not notably different in their chronic effects on receptor cell nuclei and nucleoli. However, supporting cell nuclei and nucleoli were smallest in LL. Blinding and pineal masking demonstrated that: (1) pineal receptor cell nuclei and nucleoli were affected by chronic incident light in the pineal region but not by photic or visual influences via the lateral eyes; and conversely, (2) pineal supporting cell nuclei and nucleoli were affected by chronic photic input only via the lateral eyes. The results suggest the possible presence of a cellular comparator system in which photic inputs from lateral eyes and pineal affect separately and respectively the adjacent supporting and receptor cells of the pineal organ.