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Circadian clock drives novel functions through transcriptional cascade

ABSTRACT: Using larval zebrafish as a model system, we applied a genome-wide transcriptome approach that allowed us to investigate circadian gene expression that can be associated with various tissues and cell types. Our analysis of circadian gene regulatory network revealed a general principle: circadian clock controls diverse aspects of circadian physiology through transcriptional cascade of transcription factors (TFs). As a proof of this principle, we focused on microphthalmia-associated transcription factor a (mitfa), a dark-induced TF controlling melanogenesis in melanocytes. We demonstrated experimentally that there is a circadian rhythm of melanin synthesis mediated by mitfa. The circadian rhythm of mitfa is in turn driven by both endogenous clock and external light/dark cycle. The circadian rhythm of melanin synthesis may play an important role in zebrafish’s adaptation to daily cycle of lighting condition in the environment.

ORGANISM(S): Danio rerio

PROVIDER: GSE37332 | GEO | 2012/04/26

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA162305

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:We utilized the Nematostella vectensis to quantify gene expression differences and loss during light:dark cycling and immediately after light cue removal through comparisons of 136 transcriptomes Organismal responses to light:dark cycles can result from two general processes: (i) direct response to light or (ii) a free-running rhythm (i.e., a circadian clock). Previous research in cnidarians has shown that candidate circadian clock genes have rhythmic expression in the presence of diel lighting, but these oscillations appear to be lost quickly after removal of the light cue. Here, we measure whole-organism gene expression changes in 136 transcriptomes of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, entrained to a light:dark environment and immediately following light cue removal to distinguish two broadly defined responses in cnidarians: light entrainment and circadian regulation. Direct light exposure resulted in significant differences in expression for hundreds of genes, including more than 200 genes with rhythmic, 24-hour periodicity. Removal of the lighting cue resulted in the loss of significant expression for 80% of these genes after one day, including most of the hypothesized cnidarian circadian genes. Further, 70% of these candidate genes were phase shifted. Most surprisingly, thousands of genes, some of which are involved in oxidative stress, DNA damage response, and chromatin modification, had significant differences in expression in the 24 hours following light removal, suggesting that loss of the entraining cue may induce a cellular stress response. Together, our findings suggest that a majority of genes with significant differences in expression for anemones cultured under diel lighting are largely driven by the primary photoresponse rather than a circadian clock when measured at the whole animal level. These results provide context for the evolution of cnidarian circadian biology and help to disassociate two commonly confounded factors driving oscillating phenotypes.

Project description:Sleep has been strongly implicated in learning and especially in the reprocessing of recently acquired memory. Children with intellectual disability (ID) tend to have sleep-wake disturbances, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease. As far as sleep is, in part, a circadian process, we decided to study rhythmic gene expression in hippocampus, a brain structure, which plays a key role in memory in human and rodents. By investigating the transcriptome of mouse adult hippocampus, we report here the identification of 663 circadian rhythm (CR)-regulated genes, which have been clustered in four categories, based on their temporal pattern of expression. In addition to the standard core-clock genes, enrichment analysis of the hippocampal CR-regulated genes revealed the presence of several transcription factors, underlying the existence of an inter-regulation of genes' expression between clusters. Interestingly, these hippocampal circadian rhythm-regulated genes are very enriched in sleep/wakefulness related genes. We show here that glucocorticoid signaling, already shown to be involved in memory regulation, is a circadian regulated pathway in hippocampus. Furthermore, we identified a list of 30 CR-regulated ID genes. Our results demonstrate that hippocampus can be considered as a peripheral oscillator and illustrate the link between circadian rhythm, sleep, intellectual disability and memory consolidation. In order to identify circadian rhythm-regulated genes in mouse hippocampus, we realized a study in dark-dark conditions, thus allowing to overcome the effects induced by light changes. To systematically identify genes with circadian regulated expression, RNA samples from the hippocampus of three mice at four Circadian Time (CT) points were used for expression profiling using Agilent microarray technology. The dark/dark period started at 7 p.m. The Circadian Time (CT) 18 samples were taken after 30 h of continuous dark; the other circadian times followed at 6-h intervals: CT0, CT6 and CT12 after 36, 42 and 48 h of continuous darkness, respectively.

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Circadian clock drives novel functions through transcriptional cascade

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