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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

In Vitro Bioluminescence Assay to Characterize Circadian Rhythm in Mammary Epithelial Cells
Published on: September 28, 2017
Increased coherence of circadian rhythms in mature fibroblast cultures
John S O'Neill1, Michael H Hastings
1Centre for Systems Biology at Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, UK. john.oneill@ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
Circadian transcriptional rhythms in confluent NIH 3T3 and PER2::LUCIFERASE fibroblast cultures become more coherent as they mature. This enhanced coherence correlated with increased culture density, while inhibition of the cell cycle increased coherence in immature cultures. Mature cultures may therefore express more coherent rhythms for longer because of their reduced rate of cell division. The authors conclude that mature fibroblast cultures will be of great utility for high-throughput pharmacological and mutational circadian screening.
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