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Related Concept Videos

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation02:19

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation

The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation02:19

Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation

The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
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The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.

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The Use of Mouse Splenocytes to Assess Pathogen-associated Molecular Pattern Influence on Clock Gene Expression
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Circadian clocks in mouse and human CD4+ T cells.

Thomas Bollinger1, Anton Leutz, Alexei Leliavski

  • 1Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany. Thomas.Bollinger@uk-sh.de

Plos One
|January 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary

CD4+ T cells possess an internal biological clock that controls their immune functions throughout the day. This cellular clock drives rhythmic immune responses, impacting cytokine production and cell signaling.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Chronobiology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Circadian rhythms influence many physiological processes, including immune cell function.
  • The molecular mechanisms underlying time-of-day variations in CD4+ T cell immunity are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether CD4+ T cells have an intrinsic molecular clock.
  • To determine if this clock regulates circadian rhythms in immune responses.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR) to analyze clock gene expression in CD4+ T cells.
  • Flow cytometry (FACS) to assess immune responses (cytokine production, CD40L expression) in isolated and cultured CD4+ T cells.
  • Circadian luciferase reporter systems in human T cells and mouse thymus.
  • Microarray analysis to identify regulatory pathways.

Main Results:

  • Rhythmic expression of clock genes and immune molecules (IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ, CD40L) in freshly isolated CD4+ T cells.
  • Sustained rhythmicity of IFN-γ and CD40L in cultured T cells.
  • Evidence of self-sustained circadian rhythms in T cells using reporter systems.
  • Identification of the NF-κB pathway as a potential mediator of circadian immune responses.

Conclusions:

  • CD4+ T cells possess an intrinsic, self-sustained circadian oscillator.
  • This cellular clock regulates rhythmic immune responses, including cytokine production and CD40L expression.
  • The findings reveal a novel molecular mechanism for circadian control of adaptive immunity.