bims-ciryme Biomed News
on Circadian rhythms and metabolism
Issue of 2022–08–28
three papers selected by
Gabriela Da Silva Xavier, University of Birmingham



  1. Nat Commun. 2022 Aug 23. 13(1): 4652
      In mammals, the circadian clock consists of transcriptional and translational feedback loops through DNA cis-elements such as E-box and RRE. The E-box-mediated core feedback loop is interlocked with the RRE-mediated feedback loop, but biological significance of the RRE-mediated loop has been elusive. In this study, we established mutant cells and mice deficient for rhythmic transcription of Bmal1 gene by deleting its upstream RRE elements and hence disrupted the RRE-mediated feedback loop. We observed apparently normal circadian rhythms in the mutant cells and mice, but a combination of mathematical modeling and experiments revealed that the circadian period and amplitude of the mutants were more susceptible to disturbance of CRY1 protein rhythm. Our findings demonstrate that the RRE-mediated feedback regulation of Bmal1 underpins the E-box-mediated rhythm in cooperation with CRY1-dependent posttranslational regulation of BMAL1 protein, thereby conferring the perturbation-resistant oscillation and chronologically-organized output of the circadian clock.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32326-9
  2. Nature. 2022 Aug;608(7924): S50-S51
      
    Keywords:  Depression; Health care; Physiology; Psychiatric disorders
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02211-y
  3. Nat Rev Genet. 2022 Aug 26.
      Circadian rhythms and sleep are fundamental biological processes integral to human health. Their disruption is associated with detrimental physiological consequences, including cognitive, metabolic, cardiovascular and immunological dysfunctions. Yet many of the molecular underpinnings of sleep regulation in health and disease have remained elusive. Given the moderate heritability of circadian and sleep traits, genetics offers an opportunity that complements insights from model organism studies to advance our fundamental molecular understanding of human circadian and sleep physiology and linked chronic disease biology. Here, we review recent discoveries of the genetics of circadian and sleep physiology and disorders with a focus on those that reveal causal contributions to complex diseases.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-022-00519-z