Melatonin mediates monochromatic light-induced proliferation of T/B lymphocytes in the spleen via the membrane receptor or nuclear receptor.

Our studies found that melatonin mediates the monochromatic light-induced lymphocyte proliferation in chickens. However, melatonin receptor subtypes contain membrane receptor (Mel1a/Mel1b/Mel1c) and nuclear receptor (Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor [ROR] α/RORβ/RORγ) and are characteristic with cell specificity. This study compared receptor pathway of melatonin, which mediated the monochromatic light-induced T/B lymphocyte proliferations in chickens. Newly hatched chicks were randomly divided into white light, red light, green light (GL), and blue light groups. Green light promoted the membrane receptor expression in the spleen but decreased the nuclear receptor level compared with that of red light. These changes were accompanied by increase of T/B lymphocyte proliferation and plasma melatonin level under GL. Pinealectomy reversed aforementioned changes and resulted in no differences among the light-treated groups. Supplementation of exogenous melatonin enhanced GL-induced T/B lymphocyte proliferation in the spleen but was reversed by Mel1c antagonist prazosin and RORα agonist SR1078 and enhanced by RORα antagonist SR3335. However, Mel1b antagonist 4P-PDOT and RORγ antagonist GSK increased the stimulation effect of melatonin on GL-induced T lymphocyte proliferation but no effect on the B-lymphocyte proliferation. These results indicate that melatonin promotes the GL-induced T lymphocyte proliferation through Mel1b, Mel1c, and RORα/RORγ; however, the Mel1a, Mel1c, and RORα may be involved in the B lymphocyte proliferation.