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The Use of Mouse Splenocytes to Assess Pathogen-associated Molecular Pattern Influence on Clock Gene Expression
Published on: July 24, 2018
Intestinal microbial circadian rhythms drive sex differences in host immunity and metabolism
Sarah K Munyoki1,2,3, Julie P Goff1,2,3, Antonija Kolobaric4
1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Abstract:
Circadian rhythms dynamically regulate sex differences in metabolism and immunity, and circadian disruption increases the risk of metabolic disorders. We investigated the role of sex-specific intestinal microbial circadian rhythms in host metabolism using germ-free and conventionalized mice and manipulation of dietary-derived fat, fiber, and microbiota-accessible carbohydrates. Our findings demonstrate that sex differences in circadian rhythms of genes involved in immunity and metabolism depend on oscillations in microbiota, microbial metabolic functions, and microbial metabolites. Further, we show that consuming an obesogenic, high-fat, low-fiber diet produced sex-specific changes in circadian rhythms in microbiota, metabolites, and host gene expression, which were linked to sex differences in the severity of metabolic dysfunction. Our results reveal that microbial circadian rhythms contribute to sex differences in immunity and metabolism and that dietary factors can entrain new circadian rhythms and modify the magnitude of sex differences in host-microbe circadian dynamics.
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