Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Assessing Cardiomyocyte Subtypes Following Transcription Factor-mediated Reprogramming of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts
Published on: March 22, 2017
Intense Light-Mediated Circadian Cardioprotection via Transcriptional Reprogramming of the Endothelium
Yoshimasa Oyama1, Colleen M Bartman2, Stephanie Bonney2
1Mucosal Inflammation Program, Departments of Medicine and Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
Abstract:
Consistent daylight oscillations and abundant oxygen availability are fundamental to human health. Here, we investigate the intersection between light-sensing (Period 2 [PER2]) and oxygen-sensing (hypoxia-inducible factor [HIF1A]) pathways in cellular adaptation to myocardial ischemia. We demonstrate that intense light is cardioprotective via circadian PER2 amplitude enhancement, mimicking hypoxia-elicited adenosine- and HIF1A-metabolic adaptation to myocardial ischemia under normoxic conditions. Whole-genome array from intense light-exposed wild-type or Per2-/- mice and myocardial ischemia in endothelial-specific PER2-deficient mice uncover a critical role for intense light in maintaining endothelial barrier function via light-enhanced HIF1A transcription. A proteomics screen in human endothelia reveals a dominant role for PER2 in metabolic reprogramming to hypoxia via mitochondrial translocation, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzyme activity regulation, and HIF1A transcriptional adaption to hypoxia. Translational investigation of intense light in human subjects identifies similar PER2 mechanisms, implicating the use of intense light for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Related Concept Videos
Transcription Factors
Eukaryotic Transcription Activators
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These...
Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Master Transcription Regulators
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a...
Transcription Attenuation in Prokaryotes
There are several different mechanisms used to attenuate transcription. In ribosome mediated...

