Simulated Space Environmental Factors of Weightlessness, Noise and Low Air Pressure Differentially Affect the Circadian Rhythm and Gut Microbiome

Abstract Backgroundhe circadian clock extensively regulates physiology and behavior. In space, the astronauts encounter many environmental factors that are dramatically different from those on earth, however, the effects of these factors on circadian rhythms and the mechanisms remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the changes in the mouse circadian rhythm and gut microbiome under simulated space capsule conditions, including microgravity, noise and low atmospheric pressure.ResultsNoise and low atmospheric pressure were loaded in the capsule while the conditions in the animal room remained constant. The mice in the capsule showed disturbed locomotor rhythms and faster adaptation to a 6-h phase advance. RNA sequencing of hypothalamus samples revealed that microgravity simulated by hind limb unloading (HU) and exposure to noise and low atmospheric pressure led to decreases in the quantities of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including circadian clock genes. Changes in the rhythmicity of genes implicated in pathways of cardiovascular deconditioning and more concentrated circadian phases were found under HU or noise and low atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed dysbiosis in the gut microbiome, and noise and low atmospheric pressure may repress the temporal discrepancy in the microbiome community structure induced by microgravity. Changes in diel oscillation were observed in a number of gut bacteria with critical physiological consequences in metabolism and immunodefense.ConclusionsOur data demonstrate that in addition to microgravity, exposure to noise and low atmospheric pressure affect the robustness of circadian rhythms and the community structure of the gut microbiome, and these factors may interfere with each other in their adaptation to respective conditions. These findings are important to further our understanding of the alteration of circadian rhythms in the space complex environment.

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Circadian Rhythm: Potential Therapeutic Target for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22020676 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 676

Author(s):

Andy W. C. Man ◽

Huige Li ◽

Ning Xia

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Therapeutic Target ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Vascular System ◽

Peripheral Tissues ◽

Inflammatory Processes

Every organism has an intrinsic biological rhythm that orchestrates biological processes in adjusting to daily environmental changes. Circadian rhythms are maintained by networks of molecular clocks throughout the core and peripheral tissues, including immune cells, blood vessels, and perivascular adipose tissues. Recent findings have suggested strong correlations between the circadian clock and cardiovascular diseases. Desynchronization between the circadian rhythm and body metabolism contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases including arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Circadian rhythms are involved in controlling inflammatory processes and metabolisms, which can influence the pathology of arteriosclerosis and thrombosis. Circadian clock genes are critical in maintaining the robust relationship between diurnal variation and the cardiovascular system. The circadian machinery in the vascular system may be a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The research on circadian rhythms in cardiovascular diseases is still progressing. In this review, we briefly summarize recent studies on circadian rhythms and cardiovascular homeostasis, focusing on the circadian control of inflammatory processes and metabolisms. Based on the recent findings, we discuss the potential target molecules for future therapeutic strategies against cardiovascular diseases by targeting the circadian clock.

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Association of rs3027178 polymorphism in the circadian clock gene PER1 with susceptibility to Alzheimer’s disease and longevity in an Italian population

GeroScience ◽

10.1007/s11357-021-00477-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Giulia Bacalini ◽

Flavia Palombo ◽

Paolo Garagnani ◽

Cristina Giuliani ◽

Claudio Fiorini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alzheimer’S Disease ◽

Alzheimer's Disease ◽

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Successful Aging ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Association Studies ◽

Italian Population ◽

Age Related

AbstractMany physiological processes in the human body follow a 24-h circadian rhythm controlled by the circadian clock system. Light, sensed by retina, is the predominant “zeitgeber” able to synchronize the circadian rhythms to the light-dark cycles. Circadian rhythm dysfunction and sleep disorders have been associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the present study, we aimed at investigating the genetic variability of clock genes in AD patients compared to healthy controls from Italy. We also included a group of Italian centenarians, considered as super-controls in association studies given their extreme phenotype of successful aging. We analyzed the exon sequences of eighty-four genes related to circadian rhythms, and the most significant variants identified in this first discovery phase were further assessed in a larger independent cohort of AD patients by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The results identified a significant association between the rs3027178 polymorphism in the PER1 circadian gene with AD, the G allele being protective for AD. Interestingly, rs3027178 showed similar genotypic frequencies among AD patients and centenarians. These results collectively underline the relevance of circadian dysfunction in the predisposition to AD and contribute to the discussion on the role of the relationship between the genetics of age-related diseases and of longevity.

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Modulatory Effects of Circadian Rhythms in the Lung Adenocarcinoma Tumor Microenvironment

10.21203/rs.3.rs-838444/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qianzhun Huang ◽

Xiaoyang Su ◽

Ning Fang ◽

Jian Huang

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Lung Adenocarcinoma ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Drug Sensitivity ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Circadian Clock Genes

Abstract Background: Dysregulated circadian dynamic balance is strongly associated with cancer development. However, biological functions of circadian rhythms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) have not been elucidated. This study aimed at valuating the modulatory effects of circadian rhythms in the LUAD tumor microenvironment.Methods: Multiple open-source bioinformatics research platforms are used to comprehensively elucidate the expression level, prognosis, potential biological function, drug sensitivity, and immune microenvironment of circadian clock genes in LUAD.Results: Most circadian clock genes in LUAD are dysregulated and are strongly correlated with patient prognosis, and missense mutations at splicing sites of these genes. Besides, these genes are closely associated with some well-known cancer-related marker pathways, which are mainly involved in the inhibition of the Apoptosis, Cell cycle, and DNA Damage Response Pathway. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis revealedthat circadian clock genes regulate transcription factor activities and circadian rhythms in LUAD tissues. As for drug sensitivity, high expression of CLOCK, CRY1, and NR1D2 as well as suppressedPER2 and CRY2 expression levels are associated with drug resistance. The expression levels of circadian clock genes in LUAD correlate with immune infiltration and are involved in the regulation of immunosuppression.Conclusions: Our multi-omics analysis provides a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the circadian clock genes in LUAD and provides new insights for a more precise screening of prognostic biomarkers and immunotherapy.

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Modeling and analysis of the impacts of jet lag on circadian rhythm and its role in tumor growth

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4877 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4877 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Azka Hassan ◽

Jamil Ahmad ◽

Hufsah Ashraf ◽

Amjad Ali

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Damage Control ◽

Vital Role ◽

Biochemical Networks ◽

Jet Lag ◽

Peripheral Tissues ◽

Modeling And Analysis ◽

Circadian Clock Proteins

Circadian rhythms maintain a 24 h oscillation pattern in metabolic, physiological and behavioral processes in all living organisms. Circadian rhythms are organized as biochemical networks located in hypothalamus and peripheral tissues. Rhythmicity in the expression of circadian clock genes plays a vital role in regulating the process of cell division and DNA damage control. The oncogenic protein, MYC and the tumor suppressor, p53 are directly influenced by the circadian clock. Jet lag and altered sleep/wake schedules prominently affect the expression of molecular clock genes. This study is focused on developing a Petri net model to analyze the impacts of long term jet lag on the circadian clock and its probable role in tumor progression. The results depict that jet lag disrupts the normal rhythmic behavior and expression of the circadian clock proteins. This disruption leads to persistent expression of MYC and suppressed expression of p53. Thus, it is inferred that jet lag altered circadian clock negatively affects the expressions of cell cycle regulatory genes and contribute in uncontrolled proliferation of tumor cells.

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Chronic Corticosterone Disrupts the Circadian Rhythm of CRH Expression and M6a RNA Methylation in the Chicken Hypothalamus

10.21203/rs.3.rs-919584/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yang Yang ◽

Wanwan Han ◽

Aijia Zhang ◽

Mindie Zhao ◽

Wei Cong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Chronic Stress ◽

Hpa Axis ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Diurnal Fluctuation ◽

Opposite Pattern ◽

Rna Methylation ◽

Diurnal Patterns ◽

M6a Rna Methylation

Abstract Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the major secretagogue of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, is intricately intertwined with the clock genes to regulate the circadian rhythm of various body functions. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythm, yet it remains unknown whether CRH expression and m6A modification oscillate with the clock genes in chicken hypothalamus and how the circadian rhythms change under chronic stress. Here, we show that chronic exposure to corticosterone (CORT) eliminated the diurnal patterns of plasma CORT and melatonin levels in the chicken. The circadian rhythms of clock genes in hippocampus, hypothalamus and pituitary are all disturbed to different extent in CORT-treated chickens. The most striking changes occur in hypothalamus in which the diurnal fluctuation of CRH mRNA is flattened, together with mRNA of other feeding-related neuropeptides. Interestingly, hypothalamic m6A level oscillates in an opposite pattern to CRH mRNA, with lowest m6A level after midnight (ZT18) corresponding to the peak of CRH mRNA before dawn (ZT22). CORT diminished the circadian rhythm of m6A methylation with significantly increased level at night. Further site-specific m6A analysis on 3’UTR of CRH mRNA indicates that higher m6A on 3’UTR of CRH mRNA coincides with lower CRH mRNA at night (ZT18 and ZT22). Our results indicate that chronic stress disrupts the circadian rhythms of CRH expression in hypothalamus, leading to dysfunction of HPA axis in the chicken. RNA m6A modification is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms in chicken hypothalamus under both basal and chronic stress conditions.

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MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: A sense of time of the glucocorticoid circadian clock: from the ontogeny to the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje-18-0102 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 179 (1) ◽

pp. R1-R18 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ayrton Custodio Moreira ◽

Sonir Rauber Antonini ◽

Margaret de Castro

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Circadian Variation ◽

Circadian System ◽

Feedback Loops ◽

Adrenal Axis ◽

Sense Of Time ◽

Pituitary Adrenal Axis ◽

Hierarchical Manner

The circadian rhythm of glucocorticoids has long been recognised within the last 75 years. Since the beginning, researchers have sought to identify basic mechanisms underlying the origin and emergence of the corticosteroid circadian rhythmicity among mammals. Accordingly, Young, Hall and Rosbash, laureates of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, as well as Takahashi’s group among others, have characterised the molecular cogwheels of the circadian system, describing interlocking transcription/translation feedback loops essential for normal circadian rhythms. Plasma glucocorticoid circadian variation depends on the expression of intrinsic clock genes within the anatomic components of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, which are organised in a hierarchical manner. This review presents a general overview of the glucocorticoid circadian clock mechanisms, highlighting the ontogeny of the pituitary–adrenal axis diurnal rhythmicity as well as the involvement of circadian rhythm abnormalities in the physiopathology and diagnosis of Cushing’s disease.

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Abstract P160: Non-invasive Method to Assess Human Circadian Rhythms

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hyp.68.suppl_1.p160 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Daian Chen ◽

S Justin Thomas ◽

David A Calhoun ◽

David M Pollock ◽

Jennifer S Pollock

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

Metabolic Diseases ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Light Exposure ◽

Rna Isolation ◽

Buccal Cells ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Salivary Melatonin

Circadian rhythms are controlled by an endogenous time-keeping system oscillating approximately on a 24-h cycle under constant conditions. These rhythms depend on a network of interacting genes and proteins, including transcriptional activators such as CLOCK, NPAS2, and ARNTL (BMAL1), which induce transcription of the clock genes Period ( Per1 , Per2 , and Per3 ) and Cryptochrome ( Cry1 and Cry2 ). Human salivary cortisol and melatonin follow a clear circadian rhythm as well. Disruption of the circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycles are considered risk factors for a variety of health problems, especially hypertension and other cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Here we put together practical methods for assessing circadian rhythms in adult subjects conducted by each individual. This method is non-invasive, inexpensive and provides a predictive profile of an individual’s circadian rhythm related to clock-controlled gene expression in buccal cells, salivary cortisol, salivary melatonin, and subject’s activity or sleep. Subjects are instructed on how to obtain buccal cells using swabs (Whatman OmniSwab) from the inside of their cheeks and collect saliva using salivettes (Sarstedt) every 4 hours starting at 6am, for 2 consecutive days. Subjects also wear actigraphy watches (Phillips Respironics) during the 2 days, to record their activity, light exposure and estimates of sleep times. To monitor adherence to correct time point collections, each subject is given an electronic vial called eCAP (Information Mediary Corp) that records the exact time the container is opened to place samples once collected. We demonstrate feasibility to extract up to 150ng/μl of RNA (Ambion RNAqueous-Micro Total RNA Isolation Kit) from buccal cells swabs. Salivary melatonin and cortisol are measured by radioimmunoassay (Buhlmann Lab) with melatonin peak levels ranging from 14 to 23 pg/ml and cortisol peak levels ranging from 10 to 24 ng/ml. We suggest that buccal cell expression of clock-controlled genes, salivary melatonin, salivary cortisol, and actigraphy data are valuable in providing reliable assessment of human circadian rhythm profiles under a variety of conditions.

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“Gut Microbiota-Circadian Clock Axis” in Deciphering the Mechanism Linking Early-Life Nutritional Environment and Abnormal Glucose Metabolism

International Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1155/2019/5893028 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liyuan Zhou ◽

Lin Kang ◽

Xinhua Xiao ◽

Lijing Jia ◽

Qian Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Early Life ◽

Metabolic Diseases ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Early Stage ◽

Adult Life ◽

Metabolic Memory

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been increasing dramatically worldwide, but the pathogenesis is still unknown. A growing amount of evidence suggests that an abnormal developmental environment in early life increases the risk of developing metabolic diseases in adult life, which is referred to as the “metabolic memory” and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. The mechanism of “metabolic memory” has become a hot topic in the field of DM worldwide and could be a key to understanding the pathogenesis of DM. In recent years, several large cohort studies have shown that shift workers have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and worse control of blood glucose levels. Furthermore, a maternal high-fat diet could lead to metabolic disorders and abnormal expression of clock genes and clock-controlled genes in offspring. Thus, disorders of circadian rhythm might play a pivotal role in glucose metabolic disturbances, especially in terms of early adverse nutritional environments and the development of metabolic diseases in later life. In addition, as a peripheral clock, the gut microbiota has its own circadian rhythm that fluctuates with periodic feeding and has been widely recognized for its significant role in metabolism. In light of the important roles of the gut microbiota and circadian clock in metabolic health and their interconnected regulatory relationship, we propose that the “gut microbiota-circadian clock axis” might be a novel and crucial mechanism to decipher “metabolic memory.” The “gut microbiota-circadian clock axis” is expected to facilitate the future development of a novel target for the prevention and intervention of diabetes during the early stage of life.

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CORTISOL CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN MUSCLE: EFFECT OF DOSING AND TIMING OF HYDROCORTISONE EXPOSURE ON INSULIN SENSITIVITY IN SYNCHRONIZED MUSCLE CELLS.

Neuroendocrinology ◽

10.1159/000512685 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mariarosaria Negri ◽

Claudia Pivonello ◽

Chiara Simeoli ◽

Gilda Di Gennaro ◽

Mary Anna Venneri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Insulin Sensitivity ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Insulin Signaling ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Muscle Cells ◽

C2c12 Cells ◽

Circadian Expression

Introduction/Aim: Circadian rhythm disruption is emerging as a risk factor for metabolic disorders and particularly, alterations in clock genes circadian expression have been shown to influence insulin sensitivity. Recently, the reciprocal interplay between the circadian clock machinery and HPA axis has been largely demonstrated: the circadian clock may control the physiological circadian endogenous glucocorticoids secretion and action; glucocorticoids, in turn, are potent regulator of the circadian clock and their inappropriate replacement has been associated with metabolic impairment. The aim of the current study was to investigate in vitro the interaction between the timing-of-the-day exposure to different hydrocortisone (HC) concentrations on muscle insulin sensitivity. Methods: Serum-shock synchronized mouse skeletal muscle C2C12 cells were exposed to different HC concentrations recapitulating the circulating daily physiological cortisol profile (standard cortisol profile), the circulating daily cortisol profile that reached in adrenal insufficient (AI) patients treated with once-daily MR-HC (flat cortisol profile) and treated with thrice-daily of conventional IR-HC (steep cortisol profile). The 24 hrs spontaneous oscillation of the clock genes in synchronized C2C12 cells was used to align the timing for in vitro HC exposure (Bmal1 acrophase, midphase and bathyphase) with the reference times of cortisol peaks in AI treated with IR-HC (8 am, 1 pm, 6 pm). A panel of 84 insulin sensitivity related genes and intracellular insulin signaling proteins were analyzed by RT-qPCR and western blot, respectively. Results: Only the steep profile, characterized by a higher HC exposure during Bmal1 bathyphase, produced significant downregulation in 21 insulin sensitivity-related genes. Among these, Insr, Irs1, Irs2, Pi3kca and Adipor2 were downregulated when compared the flat to the standard or steep profile. Reduced intracellular IRS1 Tyr608, AKT Ser473, AMPK Thr172 and ACC Ser79 phosphorylations were also observed. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that is late-in-the-day cortisol exposure that modulates insulin sensitivity-related genes expression and intracellular insulin signaling in skeletal muscle cells.

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Abolished Daily Expression Patterns of SIRT1, SIRT2, and SIRT5 in Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.4613.4613 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 4613-4613

Author(s):

Ming-Yu Yang ◽

Pai-Mei Lin ◽

Jui-Feng Hsu ◽

Wen-Chi Yang ◽

Yi-Chang Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Circadian Rhythms ◽

Circadian Clock ◽

Myeloid Leukemia ◽

Clock Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Daily Pattern ◽

Genes Expression ◽

Circadian Clock Genes

Abstract Abstract 4613 Circadian rhythms regulate various functions of human body and disruption of circadian rhythm has been associated with cancer development and tumor progression. Circadian clock genes use transcriptional-translational feedback loops to control circadian rhythms. Many transcriptional regulators are histone acetyltransferases (HAT) or histone deacetylases (HDAC). As clock function and integration of inputs rely on transcriptional regulation, it is possible that chromatin is remodeled during circadian cycles and in response to signals that regulate the clock. SIRT1 (sirtuin 1) is a HDAC that has recently been identified as a crucial modulator of the circadian clock machinery. To date, at least 7 SIRT genes (SIRT1–7) have been identified. In our previous report we have demonstrated the daily expression patterns of PER1, PER2, PER3, CRY1, CRY2, and CKIe in peripheral blood (PB) of healthy individuals were abolished in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and partial recoveries of daily patterns were observed in CML patients with complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and major molecular response (MMR) post-imatinib treatment [J Biol Rhythms 2011]. In this study we further investigated the expression profiles of the 7 SIRT genes (SIRT1–7) in PB total leukocytes from 49 CML and 22 healthy volunteers. Collection of PB was carried out at four time points: 2000 h, 0200 h, 0800 h, and 1400 h, respectively. In PB total leukocytes of healthy individuals, the daily pattern of SIRT1 (p < 0.01) and SIRT5 (p < 0.05) expression level peaked at 0200 h, and SIRT2 (p < 0.01) peaked at 0800 h. Daily pattern expression of these 3 genes was abolished in newly diagnosed pre-imatinib mesylate treated and blast crisis-phase CML patients. Partial daily patterns of gene expression recoveries were observed in CML patients with CCyR and MMR. In some serial monitored individual patients, the recoveries of oscillations of SIRT1, 2, and 5 genes expression accompanied with the disappearance of BCR-ABL transcripts were also noted. The expression of SIRT3, 6, and 7 did not show a time-dependent variation among the healthy and CML patients. SIRT4 expression was undetectable both in the healthy and CML patients. Updated in vitro study results of the regulation of SIRT1, 2, and 5 genes on circadian clock genes expression will be presented at the meeting. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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