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Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Published on: September 27, 2012
Circadian regulation of liver function: from molecular mechanisms to disease pathophysiology
Nityanand Bolshette1, Hussam Ibrahim2, Hans Reinke3
1Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Abstract:
A wide variety of liver functions are regulated daily by the liver circadian clock and via systemic circadian control by other organs and cells within the gastrointestinal tract as well as the microbiome and immune cells. Disruption of the circadian system, as occurs during jetlag, shift work or an unhealthy lifestyle, is implicated in several liver-related pathologies, ranging from metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to liver malignancies such as hepatocellular carcinoma. In this Review, we cover the molecular, cellular and organismal aspects of various liver pathologies from a circadian viewpoint, and in particular how circadian dysregulation has a role in the development and progression of these diseases. Finally, we discuss therapeutic and lifestyle interventions that carry health benefits through support of a functional circadian clock that acts in synchrony with the environment.
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