Diurnal, metabolic and thermogenic alterations in a murine model of accelerated aging

Senescence-Accelerated Mouse-Prone 8 (SAMP8) mice exhibit characteristics of premature aging, including hair loss, cognitive dysfunction, reduced physical activity, impaired metabolic homeostasis, cardiac dysfunction and reduced lifespan. Interestingly, circadian disruption can induce or augment many of these same pathologies. Moreover, previous studies have reported that SAMP8 mice exhibit abnormalities in circadian wheel-running behavior, indicating possible alterations in circadian clock function. These observations led to the hypothesis that 24 h rhythms in behavior and/or circadian clock function are altered in SAMP8 mice and that these alterations may contribute to perturbations in whole-body metabolism. Here, we report that 6-month-old SAMP8 mice exhibit a more prominent biphasic pattern in daily behaviors (food intake and physical activity) and whole-body metabolism (energy expenditure, respiratory exchange ratio), relative to SAMR1 control mice. Consistent with a delayed onset of food intake at the end of the light phase, SAMP8 mice exhibit a phase delay (1.3-1.9 h) in 24 h gene expression rhythms of major circadian clock components (bmal1, rev-erbα, per2, dbp) in peripheral tissues (liver, skeletal muscle, white adipose tissue [WAT], brown adipose tissue [BAT]). Forcing mice to consume food only during the dark period improved alignment of both whole-body metabolism and oscillations in expression of clock genes in peripheral tissues between SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice. Next, interrogation of metabolic genes revealed altered expression of thermogenesis mediators (ucp1, pgc1α, dio2) in WAT and/or BAT in SAMP8 mice. Interestingly, SAMP8 mice exhibit a decreased tolerance to an acute (5 h) cold challenge. Moreover, SAMP8 and SAMR1 mice exhibited differential responses to a chronic (1 week) decrease in ambient temperature; the greatest response in whole-body substrate selection was observed in SAMR1 mice. Collectively, these observations reveal differential behaviors (e.g. 24 h food intake patterns) in SAMP8 mice that are associated with perturbations in peripheral circadian clocks, metabolism and thermogenesis.