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Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Published on: September 27, 2012
Bioinformatic analysis of circadian gene oscillation in mouse aorta
R Daniel Rudic1, Peter McNamara, Dermot Reilly
1The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Insights
This study reveals that hundreds of genes in mouse aorta exhibit daily rhythms, impacting cardiovascular health. Understanding these circadian gene expression patterns is key to cardiovascular disease research.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Chronobiology
- Molecular Genetics
Background:
- Circadian rhythms influence cardiovascular functions like blood pressure and coagulation.
- Diurnal variations are observed in critical cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke.
Purpose of the Study:
- To globally assess circadian gene expression patterns in the murine aorta.
- To identify genes involved in cardiovascular function that are under circadian regulation.
Main Methods:
- Murine aortae were collected every 4 hours over 48 hours.
- Gene expression profiling was performed on collected samples.
- Bioinformatics analysis, including gene ontology, was used to analyze expression data.
Main Results:
- 330 transcripts showed circadian oscillation in mouse aorta, including core molecular clock genes.
- Genes related to protein folding, degradation, metabolism, vascular integrity, and injury response also exhibited circadian patterns.
- This subset was identified from approximately 7000 screened genes.
Conclusions:
- Identified functional gene sets in the aorta are under circadian regulation.
- These findings will help understand how the molecular clock interacts with environmental factors to affect cardiovascular function.
- Elucidating these mechanisms can inform therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular diseases.
Background:
Circadian rhythmicity of many aspects of cardiovascular function-blood pressure, coagulation and contractile function-is well established, as is diurnal variation in important clinical events, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Here, we undertake studies to globally assess circadian gene expression in murine aorta.
Methods And Results:
Aortae from mice were harvested at 4-hour intervals for 2 circadian cycles (48 hours). Gene expression was assessed by expression profiling and subjected to a gene ontology bioinformatics analysis. Three hundred thirty transcripts exhibited a circadian pattern of oscillation in mouse aorta, including those intrinsic to the function of the molecular clock. In addition, many genes relevant to protein folding, protein degradation, glucose and lipid metabolism, adipocyte maturation, vascular integrity, and the response to injury are also included in this subset of roughly 7000 genes screened for circadian oscillation.
Conclusions:
Detection of functional cassettes of vascular genes that exhibit circadian regulation in the mouse will facilitate elucidation of the mechanisms by which the molecular clock may interact with environmental variables to modulate cardiovascular function and the response to therapeutic interventions.
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