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Circadian and ultradian rhythms of clock gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of freely moving mice.

ABSTRACT: In mammals, the temporal order of physiology and behavior is primarily regulated by the circadian pacemaker located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Rhythms are generated in cells by an auto-regulatory transcription/translation feedback loop, composed of several clock genes and their protein products. Taking advantage of bioluminescence reporters, we have succeeded in continuously monitoring the expression of clock gene reporters Per1-luc, PER2::LUC and Bmal1-ELuc in the SCN of freely moving mice for up to 3 weeks in constant darkness. Bioluminescence emitted from the SCN was collected with an implanted plastic optical fiber which was connected to a cooled photomultiplier tube. We found robust circadian rhythms in the clock gene expression, the phase-relation of which were the same as those observed ex vivo. The circadian rhythms were superimposed by episodic bursts which had ultradian periods of approximately 3.0 h. Episodic bursts often accompanied activity bouts, but stoichiometric as well as temporal analyses revealed no causality between them. Clock gene expression in the SCN in vivo is regulated by the circadian pacemaker and ultradian rhythms of unknown origin.

SUBMITTER: Ono D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4508664 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Circadian and ultradian rhythms of clock gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of freely moving mice.

Ono Daisuke D Honma Ken-ichi K Honma Sato S

Scientific reports 20150721

In mammals, the temporal order of physiology and behavior is primarily regulated by the circadian pacemaker located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Rhythms are generated in cells by an auto-regulatory transcription/translation feedback loop, composed of several clock genes and their protein products. Taking advantage of bioluminescence reporters, we have succeeded in continuously monitoring the expression of clock gene reporters Per1-luc, PER2::LUC and Bmal1-ELuc in the SCN of ...[more]

PMID: 26194231

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Project description:In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus coordinates daily rhythms including sleep-wake, hormone release, and gene expression. The cells of the SCN must synchronize to each other to drive these circadian rhythms in the rest of the body. The ontogeny of circadian cycling and intercellular coupling in the SCN remains poorly understood. Recent in vitro studies have recorded circadian rhythms from the whole embryonic SCN. Here, we tracked the onset and precision of rhythms in PERIOD2 (PER2), a clock protein, within the SCN isolated from embryonic and postnatal mice of undetermined sex. We found that a few SCN cells developed circadian periodicity in PER2 by 14.5 d after mating (E14.5) with no evidence for daily cycling on E13.5. On E15.5, the fraction of competent oscillators increased dramatically corresponding with stabilization of their circadian periods. The cells of the SCN harvested at E15.5 expressed sustained, synchronous daily rhythms. By postnatal day 2 (P2), SCN oscillators displayed the daily, dorsal-ventral phase wave in clock gene expression typical of the adult SCN. Strikingly, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), a neuropeptide critical for synchrony in the adult SCN, and its receptor, VPAC2R, reached detectable levels after birth and after the onset of circadian synchrony. Antagonists of GABA or VIP signaling or action potentials did not disrupt circadian synchrony in the E15.5 SCN. We conclude that endogenous daily rhythms in the fetal SCN begin with few noisy oscillators on E14.5, followed by widespread oscillations that rapidly synchronize on E15.5 by an unknown mechanism.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We recorded the onset of PER2 circadian oscillations during embryonic development in the mouse SCN. When isolated at E13.5, the anlagen of the SCN expresses high, arrhythmic PER2. In contrast, a few cells show noisy circadian rhythms in the isolated E14.5 SCN and most show reliable, self-sustained, synchronized rhythms in the E15.5 SCN. Strikingly, this synchrony at E15.5 appears before expression of VIP or its receptor and persists in the presence of blockers of VIP, GABA or neuronal firing. Finally, the dorsal-ventral phase wave of PER2 typical of the adult SCN appears ?P2, indicating that multiple signals may mediate circadian synchrony during the ontogeny of the SCN.

Dataset Information

Circadian and ultradian rhythms of clock gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of freely moving mice.

Publications

Circadian and ultradian rhythms of clock gene expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of freely moving mice.

Similar Datasets

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