Journal of Pineal Research最新文献

{"title":"ENLIGHTENme: Translating the Benefits of Self-Administered Daytime Light Supplementation to Older Adults in the Real World.","authors":"Débora B Constantino, Flavia Baccari, Leonardo Caporali, Valerio Carelli, Giulia Amore, Marijke Gordijn, Toomas Haller, Chiara La Morgia, Anne Landvreugd, Marina Marinelli, David McDaid, Monika Nõmm, Francesco Nonino, Martina Romagnoli, Martino Schettino, Corrado Zenesini, Meike Bartels, Debra J Skene, Daan R van der Veen","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70174","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Controlled studies have demonstrated that light supplementation benefits circadian entrainment, sleep and mood. Translating these findings into effective, real-world usage of light supplementation is, however, challenging because naturalistic and supplemental light exposure are shaped by personal habits and environmental light conditions. Bridging this translation gap is especially critical for older adults, given the reduced ocular light sensitivity associated with natural ageing, which exacerbates low daytime indoor light exposure in urban housing. We therefore set out to investigate the determinants of self-directed light supplementation in this population, and what the real-world feasibility and efficacy of daytime light supplementation is. We recruited 202 participants (63-92 years; 139 females) to our interventional, prospective, randomised study in three major EU cities at different latitudes (Amsterdam, Bologna, Tartu). Participants underwent a 2-week baseline assessment of light exposure, rest-activity patterns and sleep through wearables and daily diaries. Participants were then randomised to either 12 weeks of self-implemented indoor light supplementation using a lamp placed in their most frequently used room (> 8000 melanopic EDI, N = 98) or a no-intervention group. A subsequent 2-week reassessment showed that greater naturalistic light exposure was associated with increased daytime activity, consolidated wakefulness, better subjective sleep quality, and reduced metabolic disorder incidence. Individuals with lower naturalistic light exposure self-initiated earlier and longer indoor light supplementation across seasons, in which supplementation onset before 10:00 was associated with greater daytime activity and lower rest-activity fragmentation. These results confirm that this simple, non-pharmacological, and low-cost intervention has broad potential to support healthy ageing in urban settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":"e70174"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13537858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148878670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Pineal Gland Is Required for Optimal Nighttime Immunity to Bacterial Infection in Larval Zebrafish","authors":"Gabriel Anasarias-Dumo,&nbsp;Yevetta Y. Xiang,&nbsp;David Cumin,&nbsp;James F. Cheeseman,&nbsp;Guy R. Warman,&nbsp;Jonathan W. Astin,&nbsp;Christopher J. Hall","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70179","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.70179","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The immune response to bacterial infection demonstrates circadian rhythmicity, with heightened antibacterial immunity often observed during the daytime. This circadian-gated immune response is believed to have evolved to synchronize peak antibacterial immunity with the increased threat of infection when active. Using a larval zebrafish infection model, we have previously shown that light has a positive effect on antibacterial immunity, with enhanced survival and neutrophil recruitment observed when infections are delivered during the light phase. However, the specific contribution of the light-detecting pineal gland and its principal hormone, melatonin, to this circadian immune response has not been investigated. Here, we examined whether the pineal gland modulates the host response to bacterial infection in a time-of-day–dependent manner by targeted ablation of the pineal gland. To generate pineal gland-deficient larvae we created the transgenic zebrafish line <i>Tg(exorh:YFP-NTR2.0)</i> that restricts expression of the highly efficient nitroreductase variant NTR2.0 to pinealocytes, enabling metronidazole-mediated pinealectomy. We also analyzed larvae lacking the <i>brain-specific homeobox</i> (<i>bsx</i>) gene, that encodes a transcription factor essential for pineal gland development. Both approaches resulted in complete loss of the pineal gland, confirmed by live imaging, the absence of <i>arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase 2</i> (<i>aanat2</i>) expression and diminished melatonin production. Pineal gland-deficient larvae exhibited normal survival and neutrophil recruitment when infected during the light phase, indicating that daytime immune defenses can be maintained independently of the pineal gland. In contrast, infection of pineal gland-deficient larvae during the dark phase led to significantly reduced survival, which correlated with impaired neutrophil recruitment to the infection site. These findings demonstrate that the pineal gland plays an important role in supporting nighttime antibacterial immunity in larval zebrafish.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jpi.70179","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148784320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Human Melanopsin Gene (OPN4) Polymorphisms (I394T, P10L) on Nocturnal Melatonin and Daily Rhythms in Young Adults","authors":"Jesús Vicente-Martínez,&nbsp;María Ángeles Bonmatí-Carrión,&nbsp;Ana María López-Parra,&nbsp;Juan Antonio Madrid,&nbsp;Pedro Francisco Almaida-Pagán,&nbsp;María Angeles Rol","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70181","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70181","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study investigates the impact of two missense SNPs in the human melanopsin gene <i>OPN4</i> -I394T (rs1079610) and P10L (rs2675703)- on non-image-forming (NIF) physiological and behavioural outputs in healthy young adults under real-world conditions. Twenty-five healthy university students were genotyped and analysed under a C-allele dominant model for I394T and a T-allele dominant model for P10L. Over 8 days, participants underwent ambulatory monitoring of wrist skin temperature (WT), sleep, activity and light exposure, together with salivary melatonin assessment under five home-based lighting/time conditions and pupillary light reflex testing. I394T-C carriers exhibited a phase delay in habitual sleep and WT rhythms, reduced WT amplitude, greater internal desynchronization, and lower nocturnal melatonin concentrations under dim light compared to the TT group. Although behavioural and peripheral rhythms were delayed, circadian phase (DLMO) remained preserved, resulting in an increased phase angle of entrainment. On free days, they also showed greater melatonin suppression despite similar light exposure. In contrast, the P10L-T allele was not associated with significant differences in ambulatory, hormonal, or pupillary outcomes. Overall, the I394T variant, but not P10L, significantly associates with NIF physiology in young adults, likely by affecting the coupling between environmental light and downstream circadian outputs, independently of circadian phase. These findings also suggest that I394T-C carriers exhibit features of the circadian phenotype commonly observed in older cohorts, including reduced rhythm robustness and lower melatonin levels, and support a role for this variant in interindividual differences in light sensitivity and circadian function.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jpi.70181","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148704833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Melatonin Seed Coating Improves Soybean Growth in Association With Rhizosphere Physiological and Bacterial Community Shifts","authors":"Liang Cao,&nbsp;Weiran Ma,&nbsp;Hui Wen,&nbsp;Xinran Tang,&nbsp;Ze Tang,&nbsp;Binbin Qiang,&nbsp;Yuxian Zhang","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70178","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70178","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Melatonin (MT), a potent bioactive molecule, regulates plant development and stress resistance. However, in complex field environments, how MT seed coating recruits soil microbes via root development modulation and exudate release to boost yield remains unclear. In this 2-year field study, five seed coating treatments with or without MT were used to investigate how MT-associated seed coating coordinates soybean growth with root architecture remodeling, exudate profile changes, rhizosphere microenvironment succession, and plant–microbe associations. Results indicated that MT seed coating treatment significantly increased IAA and GA content in roots by 66.3% and 38.2% compared to CK treatment, while inhibiting ABA content. This hormonal synergistic effect markedly enhanced root vitality by 18.4%, synchronously increased total root length and surface area by 54.5% and 62.6%, induced a significant increase in root tip number, and increased malic acid and citric acid contents in root exudates by 37.2% and 29.8% compared to CK. As a result, soybean yield increased by 10.8% under MT treatment. Rhizosphere analyses showed that MT-containing treatments were associated with higher nitrogen-related enzyme activities and improved inorganic nitrogen availability. Microbiome analyses indicated that stochastic processes remained dominant in bacterial community assembly, but MT reduced the relative contribution of stochasticity and promoted relatively stronger deterministic filtering. Correlation analyses showed that <i>Sphingomonas-</i> and <i>Lysobacter-affiliated</i> taxa were positively associated with growth-promoting hormones, tryptophan, root traits, and nitrogen-turnover indicators. Functional prediction suggested that MT-associated bacterial communities had enhanced potential for amino acid metabolism, membrane transport, and energy metabolism. These findings suggest that MT seed coating may promote soybean growth through coordinated changes in root hormonal balance, root architecture, exudate profiles, rhizosphere nitrogen availability, and microbial community structure.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Melatonin Suppresses Osteoclastogenesis via Inhibiting Iron/ROS-CREB/PGC-1β-Mediated Mitochondrial Biogenesis","authors":"Jiancheng Yang,&nbsp;Jingmin Che,&nbsp;Ming Yang,&nbsp;Yan Feng,&nbsp;Qingmei Li,&nbsp;Yuhong Zeng","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70182","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70182","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is linked to iron accumulation. Melatonin has iron-chelating and antioxidant properties, but its mechanism against osteoclastogenesis remains unclear. This study investigated whether melatonin suppresses osteoclast formation by targeting the iron/ROS-CREB-PGC-1β-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis pathway. <i>In vitro</i>, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) were treated with RANKL and melatonin (10–1000 nM). Melatonin concentration-dependently inhibited osteoclast differentiation, reduced intracellular ferrous and total iron levels, decreased ROS and oxidative stress markers, and suppressed mitochondrial biogenesis. Mechanistically, melatonin indirectly suppressed PGC‑1β expression via inhibition of CREB phosphorylation, without affecting PGC‑1α expression. The CREB activator forskolin reversed melatonin's effects, whereas the CREB inhibitor 666-15 mimicked them. <i>In vivo</i>, ovariectomized (OVX) mice received weekly injections of iron dextran to model moderate iron overload, with or without oral melatonin. Melatonin ameliorated iron‑induced bone loss, improved bone microarchitecture and biomechanical properties, reduced tissue iron stores and bone ROS levels, and suppressed osteoclast mitochondrial biogenesis and the CREB/PGC-1β pathway; these effects were counteracted by forskolin. In conclusion, melatonin prevents osteoclastogenesis and counters bone loss due to iron accumulation in estrogen‑deficient conditions by chelating iron, scavenging ROS, and blocking the iron/ROS‑activated CREB/PGC‑1β axis, thereby suppressing mitochondrial biogenesis. This study offers a mechanistic explanation for using melatonin as a possible treatment for PMOP, particularly when accompanied by iron overload.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Melatonin–Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway Alleviates Iron Starvation by Mobilizing Apoplastic Iron Pools and Reshaping Iron Transport in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)","authors":"Jing Huang,&nbsp;Hao Yu Wang,&nbsp;Zheng Tong Jing,&nbsp;Yong Gang Xu,&nbsp;Shu Wei Wang,&nbsp;Gang Zhang,&nbsp;Ren Fang Shen,&nbsp;Lu Zheng,&nbsp;Ting Wu Liu,&nbsp;Xiao Fang Zhu","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70176","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70176","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Iron (Fe) is indispensable for plant growth and development. Notably, melatonin (MT) serves as a key regulator to improve plant tolerance under nutrient stress conditions. Currently, the exact mechanism regulating MT's involvement in the rice Fe-deficiency response remains to be elucidated. This study reveals that Fe-deficiency stress triggers a rapid increase in endogenous MT levels in rice roots and induces the expression of MT synthesis-related genes, underscoring the involvement of MT in the rice Fe-starvation response. Exogenously applied MT rescues the root growth inhibition triggered by Fe deficiency and efficiently mitigates leaf chlorosis in rice. Mechanistically, MT decreases Fe retention in the root cell wall and its hemicellulose fraction, thereby promoting the remobilization of stored Fe and increasing soluble Fe content. Additionally, MT selectively reshapes the transport networks by robustly upregulating genes associated with Strategy II Fe acquisition and internal Fe transport—including <i>Ferric Reductase Defective 3-like 1</i> (<i>OsFRDL1</i>), <i>Iron-related transcription factor 3</i> (<i>OsIRO3</i>), <i>Nicotianamine Aminotransferase 1</i> (<i>OsNAAT1</i>), <i>OsNAS1</i>, <i>OsNAS2</i>, <i>Yellow Stripe-Like 2</i> (<i>OsYSL2</i>), and <i>OsYSL15</i>—to accelerate root-to-shoot Fe translocation. Notably, this enhanced internal Fe recycling partially improves the plant's Fe nutritional status, which is consistent with a systemic negative feedback response that partially attenuates the core Strategy I ferrous iron transporters (OsIRT1/2) along with root-surface ferric reductase (FCR) activity and proton secretion. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) acts as a pivotal downstream mediator in MT-induced mitigation of the rice Fe-starvation response. In conclusion, MT alleviates Fe deficiency in rice by promoting the remobilization of hemicellulose-bound Fe and enhancing root-to-shoot Fe translocation in an NO-dependent manner. These processes are accompanied by partial attenuation of root-surface FCR activity, proton secretion, and <i>OsIRT1</i>/<i>2</i> expression, revealing a coordinated adjustment between internal Fe reutilization and external Fe-acquisition responses.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148700184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous Melatonin Compensates for Moderate Nitrogen Reduction in Upland Rice by Optimizing Leaf Nitrogen Allocation and Photosynthetic Metabolism","authors":"Qin Bin,&nbsp;Ji Leyao,&nbsp;Jiang Meixuan,&nbsp;Jiang Xinhang,&nbsp;Zhang Zhixing,&nbsp;Fang Changxun,&nbsp;Lin Wenxiong","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70180","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70180","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Moderate nitrogen (N) reduction can lower production costs in upland rice but may constrain photosynthesis, N assimilation, and yield formation. Melatonin has the potential to regulate photosynthesis and nutrient metabolism; however, whether it improves the effectiveness of reduced N application by altering functional leaf N allocation remains unclear. A 2-year field experiment was conducted in 2024 and 2025 with four N application rates (0, 120, 160, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹) and foliar applications of either water or 100 μmol L⁻¹ melatonin. Photosynthetic performance, functional leaf N allocation, N metabolism, and grain yield were evaluated. An additional inhibition experiment using p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA) was also conducted. The beneficial effects of melatonin were observed mainly at N application rates of 120 and 160 kg N ha⁻¹. In 2024 and 2025, grain yield under N2M1 was 7.27% and 8.19% higher, respectively, than under N2M0 and did not differ significantly from that under the conventional N treatment without melatonin (N3M0). Melatonin increased the net photosynthetic rate, maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate (Vcmax), and maximum electron transport rate (Jmax). At 160 kg N ha⁻¹, the model-estimated proportion of N allocated to photosynthetic functions at the full heading stage increased from 73.55% to 86.79%, whereas the proportion of storage N decreased from 16.66% to 2.86%. Photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE = Pn/leaf N content per unit area) increased by 11.10%, accompanied by improvements in nitrate reductase (NR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) activities and N fertilizer-use efficiency. The p-CPA treatment reduced endogenous melatonin content, photosynthetic performance, and N metabolism, whereas exogenous melatonin supplementation partially restored these responses. In conclusion, the effects of exogenous melatonin on upland rice were strongly dependent on N supply. At 160 kg N ha⁻¹, melatonin produced marked compensatory effects on photosynthetic performance and grain yield. These responses were associated with improved photosynthetic capacity, model-estimated functional N allocation, and N assimilation, indicating that combining melatonin application with a 20% reduction in N fertilizer has potential for maintaining upland rice yield.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148682852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Specific Knockdown of Gene Expression in the Mature Rat Pineal Gland: The Cone-Rod Homeodomain Transcription Factor Regulates Melatonin Synthesis In Vivo","authors":"Nicole Anne Morrissey,&nbsp;Tenna Bering,&nbsp;Aurea Susana Blancas-Velázquez,&nbsp;Jakob Albrethsen,&nbsp;Nicolai J. Wewer Albrechtsen,&nbsp;Martin Fredensborg Rath","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70177","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70177","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Melatonin is synthesised from tryptophan by the sequential action of enzymes that are highly expressed in the pineal gland. Homeobox gene-encoded transcription factors typically control organ development; however, a set of homeobox genes is strongly expressed in the adult pineal gland. Previous in vitro experiments revealed that knockdown of homeobox genes in rat pinealocyte cultures reduced expression of melatonin-synthesising enzymes. Until now, it was not possible to determine the impact of homeobox genes on melatonin synthesis in vivo, which is needed to evaluate physiological functions. Using the cone-rod homeobox (<i>Crx</i>) gene as an example, we therefore developed an experimental pipeline to deliver short-hairpin RNA, via adeno-associated viral vectors, into the pineal gland of adult rats. This approach enabled us to selectively reduce <i>Crx</i> expression in the mature pineal gland, which we confirmed at both the transcript and protein levels. We employed a common approach in pharmacology to correlate <i>Crx</i> knockdown with the expression level of the tagged fluorescent reporter, which provided a quantitative basis to define data exclusion/inclusion criteria. Our efforts confirmed that knockdown of <i>Crx</i> in vivo reduced the expression of two melatonin-synthesising enzymes, namely tryptophan hydroxylase 1 and acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase, consistent with in vitro data. Furthermore, knockdown of pineal <i>Crx</i> significantly reduced nighttime plasma melatonin levels. Our work demonstrates a method through which knockdown of target genes in the rat pineal gland can be achieved without the need for transgenic models.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13444204/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148676354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promoter-Level Regulation of Melatonin Biosynthesis in Plant Stress Responses: A Framework for Climate-Resilient Crop Improvement","authors":"Muhammad Hafeez Ullah Khan,&nbsp;Ali Muhammad,&nbsp;Lijie Li,&nbsp;Daijing Zhang,&nbsp;Meixue Zhou,&nbsp;Baohong Zhang,&nbsp;Zhiyong Zhang,&nbsp;Quanyong Liu","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70158","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70158","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate change increasingly exposes crops to overlapping abiotic and biotic stresses, creating a need for regulatory strategies that improve stress tolerance without imposing unnecessary fitness costs under favorable conditions. Melatonin has been widely associated with plant responses to drought, salinity, temperature extremes, oxidative stress, and pathogen challenge, where it contributes to redox balance, hormone crosstalk, and stress-responsive gene regulation. However, the benefits of melatonin appear to depend strongly on when, where, and to what extent it is produced. In this review, we examine melatonin biosynthesis and function from a promoter-centered perspective, focusing on how stress-associated signals may regulate the core biosynthetic genes TDC, T5H, SNAT, and ASMT/COMT across tissues and stress contexts. Because direct functional validation of specific promoter architectures in plant melatonin biosynthesis genes remains limited, this review presents the promoter-centered model as a hypothesis-generating framework rather than a fully established regulatory mechanism. Here, we argue that the melatonin-mediated stress tolerance depends primarily on regulated, context-dependent pathway activation rather than constitutive pathway enhancement. We therefore discuss how current knowledge of stress signaling, cis-regulatory organization, and genome editing can be used to frame future efforts in promoter engineering of melatonin biosynthesis genes. Throughout, we distinguish established findings from forward-looking hypotheses and highlight key experimental questions that must be addressed before these concepts can be translated into crop improvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13444212/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148676398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: Melatonin Prevents Cadmium-Induced Bone Damage: First Evidence on an Improved Osteogenic/Adipogenic Differentiation Balance of Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Underlying Mechanism","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/jpi.70170","DOIUrl":"10.1111/jpi.70170","url":null,"abstract":"<p><b>EXPRESSION OF CONCERN</b>: L. Knani, D. Bartolini, S. Kechiche, C. Tortoioli, G. Murdolo, M. Moretti, I. Messaoudi, R. J. Reiter, and F. Galli, “Melatonin Prevents Cadmium-Induced Bone Damage: First Evidence on an Improved Osteogenic/Adipogenic Differentiation Balance of Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Underlying Mechanism,” <i>Journal of Pineal Research</i> 67, no. 3 (2019): e12597, https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12597.</p><p>This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 24 July 2019 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Gianluca Tosini; and John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd. A report on PubPeer [1] indicated that the image in Figure 3A overlaps with the image in Figure 3D. Additional investigation by the publisher found a potential error where the magnified panels for CD 0.5 µmol/L, MLT 50 nmol/L, and MOLT + CD in Figure 6B did not match up to the panels at lower magnification.</p><p>The authors responded to an inquiry by the publisher, presented original data, and requested to issue a correction. The authors also reported that the panels labelling in Figure 6B contain an error in that the magnification is supposed to be 200x and 400x, rather than 20x and 40x as indicated in the figure.</p><p>A review by the publisher of the original data supplied by the authors found that not all data could be verified. This Expression of Concern has been published in order to inform and alert readers about the concerns of image overlap in Figure 3. The authors disagree with the Expression of Concern and maintain that the errors do not affect the results or conclusions of the article.</p><p><b>Reference</b></p><p>1. René Aquarius and Illex Illecebrosus. Comments on “Melatonin Prevents Cadmium-Induced Bone Damage: First Evidence on an Improved Osteogenic/Adipogenic Differentiation Balance of Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Underlying Mechanism,” PubPeer, May 2024, https://pubpeer.com/publications/B83900A89D8ECE0843DD89860F792D.</p>","PeriodicalId":198,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pineal Research","volume":"78 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13389091/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148547254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}