Project description:In the present study, we sought to determine the degree of circadian misalignments of hormonal and transcriptional rhythms with the timing of sleep-wake behavior on days off in day-shift and night-shift hospital nurses. We conducted a genome-wide microarray analysis on RNA isolated from PBMCs to examine individual variability of transcriptional rhythms.
Project description:We investigated genome-wide DNA methylation of newly emerged queens, newly emerged workers, adult nurses, adult foragers and adult reverted nurses using comprehensive high throughput arrays for relative methylation (CHARM) We used custom Nimblegen microarrays We isolated genomic DNA from newly emerged queens, newly emerged workers, adult continuous nurses, adult continuous foragers and adult reverted nurses hybridized to custom-designed Nimblegen microarrays (CHARM arrays). Multiple brains were pooled for each sample and used for the genome-wide DNA methylation analysis.
Project description:Shift work misaligns the circadian clock and leads to an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders. Furthermore, food consumed during the rest phase is a major contributor to this misalignment, as food access restricted to the endogenous active phase, at night, prevents against the adverse effects of shift work on obesity and diabetes in rats. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which shift work and food consumption contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disorders. To this end, we used a model of shift work in rats, whereby animals are exposed to a 12:12 light:dark cycle and are forced to be active for eight-hours during their natural rest phase during the day, Monday to Friday for five consecutive weeks. Given the preventive effects of temporal restriction of food intake, a group of shift worker rats with food access restricted to the night was included in addition to controls and shift workers. To gain insight into the molecular underpinnings of shift-work associated cardiovascular pathologies, we performed RNA-Seq analysis and Picrosirius Red staining in rat hearts. Our results show that shift work in rats, regardless of the time of food consumption, have an increase in collagen deposition in the heart. In addition, the expression of many genes encoding key fibrotic pathways was found to be up-regulated in shift worker rats that had their food restricted to the active phase. Altogether, our results suggest that five weeks of shift work in rats is capable of inducing cardiovascular disease through an up-regulation of collagen deposition in the heart.
Project description:Eight healthy human subjects were enrolled in a 6-day simulated shift work protocol. Blood samples were collected during the two 24-hour measurement periods. Blood samples were collected every 4 hours during both measurement periods. Subjects entered the lab on Day 1. At the start of Day 2, the first 24-hour measurement period was started. Subjects slept according to their habitual sleep/wake schedule, followed by a 16-hour constant posture procedure. On days 3-6, the sleep period was delayed by 10 hours. Following the third night on this schedule, subjects underwent another 24-hour measurement period. During both measurement periods, 7 blood samples were collected and PBMCs were isolated. mRNA was extracted, labelled, and hybridized to microarrays.
Project description:We investigated genome-wide DNA methylation of newly emerged queens, newly emerged workers, adult nurses, adult foragers and adult reverted nurses using comprehensive high throughput arrays for relative methylation (CHARM) We used custom Nimblegen microarrays