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Updated: Apr 30, 2026

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Published on: September 28, 2017
Lhx1 controls terminal differentiation and circadian function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus
Joseph L Bedont1, Tara A LeGates2, Emily A Slat3
1Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Abstract:
Vertebrate circadian rhythms are organized by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Despite its physiological importance, SCN development is poorly understood. Here, we show that Lim homeodomain transcription factor 1 (Lhx1) is essential for terminal differentiation and function of the SCN. Deletion of Lhx1 in the developing SCN results in loss of SCN-enriched neuropeptides involved in synchronization and coupling to downstream oscillators, among other aspects of circadian function. Intact, albeit damped, clock gene expression rhythms persist in Lhx1-deficient SCN; however, circadian activity rhythms are highly disorganized and susceptible to surprising changes in period, phase, and consolidation following neuropeptide infusion. Our results identify a factor required for SCN terminal differentiation. In addition, our in vivo study of combinatorial SCN neuropeptide disruption uncovered synergies among SCN-enriched neuropeptides in regulating normal circadian function. These animals provide a platform for studying the central oscillator's role in physiology and cognition.
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