Project description:The circadian clock attunes metabolism to daily energy cycles, but how it regulates metabolic tissue maturation is not well understood. Here we show that DEC1, a clock transcription factor induced in adult islet β cells, coordinates their glucose responsiveness by synchronizing energetic and secretory rhythms. DEC1 binds maturity-linked genes regulating integration of energy metabolism and insulin exocytosis, and β-cell Dec1 ablation disrupts their transcription synchrony. Dec1-disrupted mice develop lifelong glucose intolerance and insulin deficiency, despite normal islet formation and intact CLOCK/BMAL1 genes. Metabolic dysfunction upon β-cell Dec1 loss stems from poor coupling of insulin secretion to glucose metabolism, reminiscent of fetal/neonatal immaturity. We find that stunted maturation reflects an energetic deficit, marked by reduced glycolysis and compromised mitochondrial dynamics and respiration, which is rescued by increasing metabolic flux. Thus, DEC1 links circadian clockwork to β-cell metabolic maturation, revealing a hierarchy for how the clock programs metabolic tissue specialization.
Project description:Study on differential gene expression and splicing between wildtype and clock mutants. This study is part of a comparative analysis of the role of Protein Methyltransferase 5 in the regulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes simultaneously in Arabidopsis and Drosophila. Circadian rhythms allow organisms to time biological processes to the most appropriate phases of the day/night cycle1. Post-transcriptional regulation is emerging as an important component of circadian networks2-6, but the molecular mechanisms linking the circadian clock to the control of RNA processing are largely unknown. Here we show that Protein Arginine Methyl Transferase 5 (PRMT5), which transfers methyl groups to arginine residues present in histones7 and Sm spliceosomal proteins8,9, links the circadian clock to the control of alternative splicing in plants. Mutations in prmt5impair multiple circadian rhythms in Arabidopsis thaliana and this phenotype is caused, at least in part, by a strong alteration in alternative splicing of the core-clock gene PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR 9 (PRR9). Furthermore, genome wide studies show that PRMT5 contributes to regulate many pre-mRNA splicing events most likely modulating 5´splice site (5´ss) recognition. PRMT5 expression shows daily and circadian oscillations, and this contributes to mediate the circadian regulation of expression and alternative splicing of a subset of genes. Circadian rhythms in locomotor activity are also disrupted in dart5, a mutant affected in the Drosophila melanogaster PRMT5 homolog, and this is associated with alterations in splicing of the core-clock gene period (per) and several clock associated genes. Our results reveal a key role for PRMT5 in the regulation of alternative splicing and indicate that the interplay between the circadian clock and the regulation of alternative splicing by PRMT5 constitutes a common mechanism that helps organisms to synchronize physiological processes with daily changes in environmental conditions.
Project description:The role of circadian clocks in regulating metabolic processes has been studied extensively. Yet, the physiological impacts of the circadian system on metabolic states across species and life stages remain to be explored. This study investigates the relationship between circadian rhythms and metabolic regulation in the fat body of Drosophila larva, an organ crucial for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, growth and developmental timing. Larval fat body is analogous to the mammalian liver and adipose tissue but lacks a canonical circadian clock. Around-the-clock RNA-sequencing analysis on the fat bodies of wild-type and period clock gene null mutant larvae revealed circadian rhythms in the transcriptome of wild-type larvae. Surprisingly, period mutant exhibited 12-h rhythms in the expression of numerous genes, particularly those involved in peroxisome function, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress response. Consistent with these transcriptomic data, peroxisome biogenesis and activity demonstrated 12-h rhythms in period mutant fat bodies. Furthermore, levels of reactive oxygen species displayed inverse-phased rhythms to that of lipid peroxidation, with 24-h rhythms in wild-type and 12-h rhythms in period mutant fat bodies. Moreover, while daily fat storage levels in wild-type larvae remained constant, period mutants exhibited fluctuations with a 12-h period and a net reduction in body fat storage. Collectively, our results identified a clock-independent ultradian rhythms in lipid metabolism, which may contribute to maintaining the metabolic, energetic, and redox homeostasis essential for larval survival and development.
Project description:Chromatin organization plays a crucial role in gene regulation by controlling the accessibility of DNA to transcription machinery. While significant progress has been made in understanding the regulatory role of clock proteins in circadian rhythms, how chromatin organization affects circadian rhythms remains poorly understood. Here, we employed ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin with Sequencing) on FAC-sorted Drosophila clock neurons to assess genome-wide chromatin accessibility at dawn and dusk over the circadian cycle. We observed significant oscillations in chromatin accessibility at promoter and enhancer regions of hundreds of genes, with enhanced accessibility either at dusk or dawn, which correlated with their peak transcriptional activity. Notably, genes with enhanced accessibility at dusk were enriched with E-box motifs, while those more accessible at dawn were enriched with VRI/PDP1-box motifs, indicating that they are regulated by the core circadian feedback loops, PER/CLK and VRI/PDP1, respectively. Further, we observed a complete loss of chromatin accessibility rhythms in per01 null mutants, with chromatin consistently accessible at both dawn and dusk, underscoring the critical role of Period protein in driving chromatin compaction during the repression phase at dawn. Together, this study demonstrates the significant role of chromatin organization in circadian regulation, revealing how the interplay between clock proteins and chromatin structure orchestrates the precise timing of biological processes throughout the day. This work further implies that variations in chromatin accessibility might play a central role in the generation of diverse circadian gene expression patterns in clock neurons.
Project description:Ketone bodies, intermediates in energy metabolism and signaling, have attracted significant attention due to their role in health and disease. We performed around the clock study on ketone bodies and ketogenesis with mice on different diets. We found that caloric restriction, a dietary intervention that improves metabolism and longevity, induced high amplitude circadian rhythms in blood βOHB. The blood βOHB rhythms resulted from rhythmic ketogenesis in the liver controlled by the interaction between the circadian clock and PPAR transcriptional networks. This interaction results in transcriptional reprogramming of in beta-oxidation and ketogenesis enzymes. The reprogramming is impaired in circadian clock mutant mice. The circadian clock gated ketogenesis contributes to the diet impact on health and longevity.
Project description:Recent evidence suggest that the circadian timing system plays an important role in the control of renal function and maintaining blood pressure. Here, we analyzed circadian rhythms of urinary excretion of sodium and potassium in wild-type mice and mice lacking circadian transcriptional activator clock. Analysis of urines collected at hourly intervals over a 24-hour period revealed dramatic changes in rhythms of sodium and potassium excretion in clock(-/-) mice. In parallel, significant differences in circadian pattern of plasma aldosterone levels, but not in the 24-hour mean aldosterone levels, were observed. Microarray-based profiling of renal transcriptomes demonstrated that clock(-/-) mice exhibit dysregulation in multiple mechanisms involved in maintaining sodium and potassium balance by the kidney. The most significant changes were detected in the expression levels of several key enzymes (Cyp4a14, Cyp4a12a and Cyp4a12b) required for the conversion of arachidonic acid to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), a powerful regulator of renal sodium and potassium excretion, renal vascular tone and blood pressure. The 20-HETE levels measured in kidney microsomes of wild-type mice followed a circadian-like temporal pattern. In clock(-/-) mice, the acrophase of this rhythm was shifted by 8 hours and the 24-hour mean levels of 20-HETE were significantly decreased. These results demonstrate that circadian rhythms of urine electrolyte excretion are largely dependent on the circadian clock activity and indicate that circadian oscillations in renal 20-HETE content could be an important mechanism of blood pressure regulation. We examined the temporal profiles of gene expression in mouse whole kidney. Animals were sacrificed for microdissection every 4 hours, i.e. at ZT0, ZT4, ZT8, ZT12, ZT16 and ZT20 (ZT M-bM-^@M-^S Zeitgeber (circadian) time, indicates time of light-on as ZT0 and time of light-off as ZT12). The microarray hybridization was performed in duplicates on pools of RNA composed of equivalent amounts of RNA prepared from teo or three animals at each ZT time-point.
Project description:Circadian rhythms are responsive to a variety of external cues, light and metabolism being the most important. In mammals, the light signal is sensed by the retina and transmitted to the SCN master clock, where it is translated into the molecular oscillator via regulation of clock gene transcription. The signalling pathways governing the molecular translation from metabolic signals to circadian output in peripheral oscillators, in contrast, are less understood. FOXO transcription factors are known to translate external metabolic cues to internal transcriptional programs. In the past couple of years it has become evident that both FOXO transcription factors and the circadian clock are of key importance in the underlying mechanisms of ageing and the regulation of metabolism. We now show FOXO3 to be a crucial modulator of circadian rhythmicity via direct transcriptional regulation of Clock, a core component of the molecular oscillator, and identify FOXO3 as a novel link in the circadian feedback loop, which is required for circadian rhythms in liver. We propose that FOXO3 directly feeds back into the circadian oscillator in response to metabolic cues.
Project description:Circadian rhythms are responsive to a variety of external cues, light and metabolism being the most important. In mammals, the light signal is sensed by the retina and transmitted to the SCN master clock, where it is translated into the molecular oscillator via regulation of clock gene transcription. The signalling pathways governing the molecular translation from metabolic signals to circadian output in peripheral oscillators, in contrast, are less understood. FOXO transcription factors are known to translate external metabolic cues to internal transcriptional programs. In the past couple of years it has become evident that both FOXO transcription factors and the circadian clock are of key importance in the underlying mechanisms of ageing and the regulation of metabolism. We now show FOXO3 to be a crucial modulator of circadian rhythmicity via direct transcriptional regulation of Clock, a core component of the molecular oscillator, and identify FOXO3 as a novel link in the circadian feedback loop, which is required for circadian rhythms in liver. We propose that FOXO3 directly feeds back into the circadian oscillator in response to metabolic cues.
Project description:Circadian rhythms are responsive to a variety of external cues, light and metabolism being the most important. In mammals, the light signal is sensed by the retina and transmitted to the SCN master clock, where it is translated into the molecular oscillator via regulation of clock gene transcription. The signalling pathways governing the molecular translation from metabolic signals to circadian output in peripheral oscillators, in contrast, are less understood. FOXO transcription factors are known to translate external metabolic cues to internal transcriptional programs. In the past couple of years it has become evident that both FOXO transcription factors and the circadian clock are of key importance in the underlying mechanisms of ageing and the regulation of metabolism. We now show FOXO3 to be a crucial modulator of circadian rhythmicity via direct transcriptional regulation of Clock, a core component of the molecular oscillator, and identify FOXO3 as a novel link in the circadian feedback loop, which is required for circadian rhythms in liver. We propose that FOXO3 directly feeds back into the circadian oscillator in response to metabolic cues. We performed a microarray study on synchronized NIH 3T3 cells upon transient overexpression of FoxO6 (oeO6). Cells were harvested for RNA isolation 24h (time1), 30h(time2), 36h(time3) and 42h(time4) after synchronization. Experimental samples were hybridized against a reference pool of cRNA, which was derived from unsynchronized NIH 3T3 cells. Experiments were performed 4 times, of each sample group two samples were labeled with cy5 and co-hybridized with reference RNA labeled with cy3, and two samples were labeled and hybridized in the opposite way. Microarrays used were Mouse Whole Genome Gene Expression Microarrays V1 (Agilent Technologies, Belgium)