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Updated: Oct 25, 2025
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Parallel Measurement of Circadian Clock Gene Expression and Hormone Secretion in Human Primary Cell Cultures
Published on: November 11, 2016
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Keeping the clock running: The microbiome as a pivotal timekeeper
1Kewalo Marine Laboratory, Pacific Biosciences Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA.
Cell Metabolism
|August 4, 2021
Summary
Animal microbiomes follow daily circadian rhythms. Host biological clocks influence specific microbes, coordinating the innate immune system and circadian clock.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Chronobiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Animal microbiomes exhibit complex interactions with their hosts.
- Emerging evidence suggests a significant role for circadian rhythms in host-microbe dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of host circadian rhythms on animal microbiome composition and function.
- To understand how host rhythms coordinate innate immune responses with microbial activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized advanced sequencing techniques to analyze microbiome composition.
- Employed time-series analysis to correlate host rhythms with microbial behavior.
- Investigated immune system markers in relation to microbial activity patterns.
Main Results:
- Host circadian rhythms were found to directly drive the behavior of specific microbiome members.
- Microbial activity patterns were shown to orchestrate the innate immune system's alignment with the host's circadian clock.
- Demonstrated a coordinated regulation between host rhythms, microbiome, and innate immunity.
Conclusions:
- Host circadian rhythms are critical regulators of animal microbiome behavior.
- The microbiome plays a key role in synchronizing innate immunity with the host's daily biological clock.
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