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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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In Vitro Bioluminescence Assay to Characterize Circadian Rhythm in Mammary Epithelial Cells
Published on: September 28, 2017
Circadian rhythm and its role in malignancy.
1Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. medgen@uhs.edu.pk.
Journal of Circadian Rhythms
|April 1, 2010
Summary
Circadian rhythms, regulated by internal clocks, influence cell cycles and apoptosis. Disruptions in these biological rhythms are linked to various cancers, suggesting potential for new chronotherapy treatments.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Circadian rhythms are daily biological oscillations controlled by endogenous clocks.
- The circadian system involves a central pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and peripheral oscillators in tissues.
- Molecular components, including circadian and clock-controlled genes (CCGs), form feedback loops generating these rhythms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the link between circadian clock gene expression and cell cycle regulation.
- To investigate the role of circadian disruption in cancer development and progression.
- To highlight the potential of chronotherapy for circadian-related disorders, particularly cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on circadian rhythms, clock genes, and cancer.
- Analysis of evidence linking genetic or functional disruption of the molecular circadian clock to various cancers.
- Examination of the impact of aberrant circadian gene expression on cell cycle control and apoptosis.
Main Results:
- Aberrant circadian clock gene expression can affect cell cycle progression and apoptosis.
- Disruption of the molecular circadian clock is observed in multiple human cancers (e.g., breast, prostate, hematological).
- Evidence suggests cancer may be a circadian-related disorder.
Conclusions:
- Circadian clock disruption can lead to genomic instability and cellular proliferation, potentially promoting carcinogenesis.
- Understanding circadian mechanisms is crucial for developing chronotherapy.
- Chronotherapy, utilizing biological timing, offers novel therapeutic strategies for cancer and other circadian-related disorders.
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