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Misaligned feeding uncouples daily rhythms within brown adipose tissue and between peripheral clocks
Victoria A Acosta-Rodríguez1, Filipa Rijo-Ferreira2, Laura van Rosmalen3
1Department of Neuroscience, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
Cell Reports
|July 24, 2024
Summary
Altering meal timing disrupts the body's internal clocks, impacting health. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) shows unique resistance to feeding schedules, unlike other metabolic organs.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Metabolic Health
- Circadian Rhythms
Background:
- Extended food consumption during rest periods disrupts circadian clocks, potentially causing adverse health effects.
- The response of metabolic organs, particularly adipose tissue, to timed diets is not well understood beyond the liver.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of feeding schedules on circadian gene expression in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) compared to the liver and hypothalamus.
- To explore how timed hypocaloric diets affect circadian rhythms in different metabolic tissues.
Main Methods:
- Mice (C57BL/6J males) were subjected to feeding restricted to either daytime or nighttime.
- Caloric restriction was implemented in some groups.
- Circadian gene expression was analyzed in the liver, hypothalamus, eWAT, and BAT.
Main Results:
- Brown adipose tissue (BAT) clock genes remained insensitive to feeding time, similar to the hypothalamus, unlike the liver and eWAT.
- BAT exhibited an internal molecular "split," with inverted oscillations in some metabolic genes despite a stable core circadian machinery.
- Feeding time significantly impacted circadian gene expression in the liver and eWAT.
Conclusions:
- Tissue-specific responses to feeding schedules are crucial for understanding circadian disruption.
- Brown adipose tissue (BAT) displays a unique resilience in its core circadian machinery to altered feeding times.
- Further research integrating tissue-specific circadian networks and metabolic outcomes is needed to explain health issues linked to eating at unusual times.
