scholarly journals Circadian Rhythm: Potential Therapeutic Target for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 676
Author(s):  
Andy W. C. Man ◽  
Huige Li ◽  
Ning Xia

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.

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azka Hassan ◽  
Jamil Ahmad ◽  
Hufsah Ashraf ◽  
Amjad Ali

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.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Arboleda ◽  
Martin Zurl ◽  
Kristin Tessmar-Raible

AbstractBackgroundThe marine bristle wormPlatynereis dumeriliiis a useful functional model system for the study of the circadian clock and its interplay with others, e.g. circalunar clocks. The focus has so far been on the worm’s head. However, behavioral and physiological cycles in other animals typically arise from the coordination of circadian clocks located in the brain and in peripheral tissues. Here we focus on peripheral circadian rhythms and clocks, revisit and expand classical circadian work on the worm’s chromatophores, investigate locomotion as read-out and include molecular analyses.ResultsWe establish that different pieces of the trunk exhibit synchronized, robust oscillations of core circadian clock genes. These circadian core clock transcripts are under strong control of the light-dark cycle, quickly losing synchronized oscillation under constant darkness, irrespective of the absence or presence of heads. Different wavelengths are differently effective in controlling the peripheral molecular synchronization. We have previously shown that locomotor activity is under circadian clock control. Here we show that upon decapitation it still follows the light-dark cycle, but does not free-run under constant darkness. We also observe the rhythmicity of pigments in the worm’s individual chromatophores, confirming that chromatophore size changes follow a circadian pattern. These size changes continue under constant darkness, but cannot be re-entrained by light upon decapitation.ConclusionsHere we provide the first basic characterization of the peripheral circadian clock ofPlatynereis dumerilii. In the absence of the head, light is essential as a major synchronization cue for peripheral molecular and locomotor circadian rhythms. Circadian changes in chromatophore size can however continue for several days in the absence of light/dark changes and the head. Thus, the dependence on the head depends on the type of peripheral rhythm studied. These data show that peripheral circadian rhythms and clocks should be considered when investigating the interactions of clocks with different period lengths, a notion likely also true for other organisms with circadian and non-circadian clocks.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan Ma ◽  
Xihui Gan ◽  
Jianwei Zhao ◽  
Yin Zhang ◽  
Silin Li ◽  
...  

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.


GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Giulia Bacalini ◽  
Flavia Palombo ◽  
Paolo Garagnani ◽  
Cristina Giuliani ◽  
Claudio Fiorini ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Gangitano ◽  
Lucio Gnessi ◽  
Andrea Lenzi ◽  
David Ray

Circadian rhythms underpin most physiological processes, including energy metabolism. The core circadian clock consists of a transcription-translation negative feedback loop, and is synchronized to light-dark cycles by virtue of light input from the retina, to the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. All cells in the body have circadian oscillators which are entrained to the central clock by neural and humoral signals. In addition to light entrainment of the central clock in the brain, it now emerges that other stimuli can drive circadian clock function in peripheral tissues, the major one being food. This can then drive the liver clock to be misaligned with the central brain clock, a situation of internal misalignment with metabolic disease consequences. Such misalignment is prevalent, with shift workers making up 20% of the working population. The effects of diet composition on the clock are not completely clarified yet. High-fat diet and fasting influence circadian expression of clock genes, inducing phase-advance and phase-delay in animal models. Ketogenic diet (KD) is able to induce a metabolic switch from carbohydrate to fatty acid oxidation, miming a fasting state. In recent years, some animal studies have been conducted to investigate the ability of the KD to modify circadian gene expression, and demonstrated that the KD alters circadian rhythm and induces a rearrangement of metabolic gene expression. These findings may lead to new approaches to obesity and metabolic pathologies treatment.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanli Xiang ◽  
Thomas Sapir ◽  
Pauline Rouillard ◽  
Marina Ferrand ◽  
Jose M Jimenez-Gomez

Many biological processes follow circadian rhythmicity and are controlled by the circadian clock. Predictable environmental changes such as seasonal variation in photoperiod can modulate circadian rhythms, allowing organisms to adjust to the time of the year. Modification of circadian clocks is especially relevant in crops to enhance their cultivability in specific regions by changing their sensibility to photoperiod. In tomato, the appearance of mutations in EMPFINDLICHER IM DUNKELROTEN LICHT 1 (EID1, Solyc09g075080) and NIGHT LIGHT-INDUCIBLE AND CLOCK-REGULATED GENE 2 (LNK2, Solyc01g068560) during domestication delayed its circadian rhythms, and allowed its expansion outside its equatorial origin. Here we study how variation in circadian rhythms in tomato affects its perception of photoperiod. To do this, we create near isogenic lines carrying combinations of wild alleles of EID1 and LNK2 and perform transcriptomic profiling under two different photoperiods. We observe that EID1, but not LNK2, has a large effect on the tomato transcriptome and its response to photoperiod. This large effect of EID1 is likely a consequence of the global phase shift elicited by this gene in tomato's circadian rhythms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qianzhun Huang ◽  
Xiaoyang Su ◽  
Ning Fang ◽  
Jian Huang

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Wanwan Han ◽  
Aijia Zhang ◽  
Mindie Zhao ◽  
Wei Cong ◽  
...  

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 179 (1) ◽  
pp. R1-R18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayrton Custodio Moreira ◽  
Sonir Rauber Antonini ◽  
Margaret de Castro

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.


Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daian Chen ◽  
S Justin Thomas ◽  
David A Calhoun ◽  
David M Pollock ◽  
Jennifer S Pollock

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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