近日，日本东京大学Shinji Kanda及其团队发现，脑垂体内分泌细胞的直接光感受调节激素释放和色素沉着。2025年1月3日出版的《科学》杂志发表了这项成果。

研究人员在日本稻田鱼（青鳉）发现了一个此前未被识别的由光诱导的脑垂体激素释放机制。钙离子成像分析揭示，分泌黑素刺激激素的脑垂体内分泌细胞（促黑素细胞）在短波长光照射下，细胞内钙离子浓度显著增加。此外，研究人员确定了Opn5m作为驱动这一反应的关键分子。敲除opn5m减少了黑色素生成，并降低了皮肤中酪氨酸酶的表达。

这些研究结果表明，脑垂体黑素细胞直接接受短波长光信号，启动了一条可能有助于保护青鳉免受紫外线辐射的途径。

据了解，最近在各种器官中发现了非视觉光感受器，这引发了对其作用和潜在机制的进一步探索。

附：英文原文

Title: Direct photoreception by pituitary endocrine cells regulates hormone release and pigmentation

Author: Ayaka Fukuda, Keita Sato, Chika Fujimori, Takahiro Yamashita, Atsuko Takeuchi, Hideyo Ohuchi, Chie Umatani, Shinji Kanda

Issue&Volume: 2025-01-03

Abstract: The recent discovery of nonvisual photoreceptors in various organs has raised expectations for uncovering their roles and underlying mechanisms. In this work, we identified a previously unrecognized hormone-releasing mechanism in the pituitary of the Japanese rice fish (medaka) induced by light. Ca2+ imaging analysis revealed that melanotrophs, a type of pituitary endocrine cell that secretes melanocyte-stimulating hormone, robustly increase the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ during short-wavelength light exposure. Moreover, we identified Opn5m as the key molecule that drives this response. Knocking out opn5m attenuated melanogenesis by reducing tyrosinase expression in the skin. Our findings suggest a mechanism in which direct reception of short-wavelength light by pituitary melanotrophs triggers a pathway that might contribute to protection from ultraviolet radiation in medaka.

DOI: adj9687

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj9687