Ontogeny of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in the chicken (Gallus domesticus) kidney and spleen

To understand the possible role of melatonin receptors in the development of renal and immune functions, age-related variations of 2-[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in the chicken kidney and spleen were investigated by radioreceptor assay. Chickens at embryonic day 20, as well as 2 days, 9 days, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks after hatching, were kept under a 12 h light:12 h dark photoperiod and killed at the middle of the light …