Influence of the season of hatch on the functional characteristics of the pineal gland was examined in neonatal Hi-Line male chickens. The pineal glands from 2-day-old birds hatched in summer and winter, and kept from the day of hatch in artificial lighting conditions (12L:12D), were isolated under dim red light in the middle of the day or night. The pineal glands were analyzed to characterize their melatonin biosynthetic activity: (1) expression of the Arylalkylamine– N–acetyltransferase and Hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase genes, encoding the final two enzymes of the melatonin biosynthesis pathway; (2) the activity of AA-NAT and HIOMT; and (3) the content of the main substrates of this pathway, tryptophan (TRY) and serotonin (5-HT). Daily changes in pineal AA-NAT activity were observed in chickens hatched in both seasons, with a more pronounced nocturnal increase in summer. In contrast, the level of Aa-nat gene expression, although exhibited the same nocturnal/diurnal pattern in both seasons, was much lower in the summer. The activity of HIOMT was season- and daytime-independent. In “winter” chickens the pineal content of 5-HT was low and stable, while in “summer” birds it was correlated with levels of AA-NAT activity and Aa-nat gene expression. TRY content was very high and exhibited neither daily nor seasonal changes. The pineal gland of newly hatched chickens kept in controlled 12L:12D conditions exhibits daily variations in melatonin biosynthetic activity influenced by the season. This suggests a maternal effect on the perinatal/postnatal development of the circadian clock residing in the chicken pineal gland.
"Open access will revolutionize 21st century knowledge work and accelerate the diffusion of ideas and evidence that support just in time learning and the evolution of thinking in a number of disciplines."
"It is important that students and researchers from all over the world can have easy access to relevant, high-standard and timely scientific information. This is exactly what Open Access Journals provide and this is the reason why I support this endeavor."
"Publishing research articles is the key for future scientific progress. Open Access publishing is therefore of utmost importance for wider dissemination of information, and will help serving the best interest of the scientific community."
"Open access journals are a novel concept in the medical literature. They offer accessible information to a wide variety of individuals, including physicians, medical students, clinical investigators, and the general public. They are an outstanding source of medical and scientific information."
"Open access journals are extremely useful for graduate students, investigators and all other interested persons to read important scientific articles and subscribe scientific journals. Indeed, the research articles span a wide range of area and of high quality. This is specially a must for researchers belonging to institutions with limited library facility and funding to subscribe scientific journals."
"Open access journals represent a major break-through in publishing. They provide easy access to the latest research on a wide variety of issues. Relevant and timely articles are made available in a fraction of the time taken by more conventional publishers. Articles are of uniformly high quality and written by the world's leading authorities."
"Open access journals have transformed the way scientific data is published and disseminated: particularly, whilst ensuring a high quality standard and transparency in the editorial process, they have increased the access to the scientific literature by those researchers that have limited library support or that are working on small budgets."
"Not only do open access journals greatly improve the access to high quality information for scientists in the developing world, it also provides extra exposure for our papers."
"Open Access 'Chemistry' Journals allow the dissemination of knowledge at your finger tips without paying for the scientific content."
"In principle, all scientific journals should have open access, as should be science itself. Open access journals are very helpful for students, researchers and the general public including people from institutions which do not have library or cannot afford to subscribe scientific journals. The articles are high standard and cover a wide area."
"The widest possible diffusion of information is critical for the advancement of science. In this perspective, open access journals are instrumental in fostering researches and achievements."
"Open access journals are very useful for all scientists as they can have quick information in the different fields of science."
"There are many scientists who can not afford the rather expensive subscriptions to scientific journals. Open access journals offer a good alternative for free access to good quality scientific information."
"Open access journals have become a fundamental tool for students, researchers, patients and the general public. Many people from institutions which do not have library or cannot afford to subscribe scientific journals benefit of them on a daily basis. The articles are among the best and cover most scientific areas."
"These journals provide researchers with a platform for rapid, open access scientific communication. The articles are of high quality and broad scope."
"Open access journals are probably one of the most important contributions to promote and diffuse science worldwide."
"Open access journals make up a new and rather revolutionary way to scientific publication. This option opens several quite interesting possibilities to disseminate openly and freely new knowledge and even to facilitate interpersonal communication among scientists."
"Open access journals are freely available online throughout the world, for you to read, download, copy, distribute, and use. The articles published in the open access journals are high quality and cover a wide range of fields."
"Open Access journals offer an innovative and efficient way of publication for academics and professionals in a wide range of disciplines. The papers published are of high quality after rigorous peer review and they are Indexed in: major international databases. I read Open Access journals to keep abreast of the recent development in my field of study."
"It is a modern trend for publishers to establish open access journals. Researchers, faculty members, and students will be greatly benefited by the new journals of Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. in this category."