Chronobiological studies on the nucleolus

Chronobiological studies on the nucleolus were performed, using stereological analysis at the electron microscopic level, on different cell types in permanent interphasic state, in rats submitted to various lighting regimen. During the dark span (12L/12D): (1) in sympathetic neurons of superior cervical ganglion circadian changes in nucleolar organization were characterized by an increase in volumes of the nucleolus and each of its components, namely, fibrillar centres, dense fibrillar, granular and vacuolar components; (2) concerning the fibrillar centres, regarded as the interphasic counterpart of nucleolar organizing regions (NORs), the most striking fact, only observed in sympathetic neurons, is the occurrence of a single large-type fibrillar centre, accompanied by small-type fibrillar centres which are present throughout the 24-hr period; (3) the overall increase in volume of fibrillar centres was shown to correspond to a marked drop in the number (up to 4 fold) of small-type fibrillar centres, the unit volume of which (0.01 mum3) remaining unchanged over the 24-hr period and to an increase in size of a large-type fibrillar centre, the volume of which is 100 fold greater than the latter and (4) cytochemical studies showed that the Ag-NOR proteins exhibit a marked increase in amount, suggesting a circadian rhythmicity of these nucleolar proteins. These results, discussed in the light of our current understanding of the nucleolus, briefly summarized in this paper, suggest that the circadian rhythm of the nucleolus and of its components is correlated with circadian rhythms in both transcriptional activity and processing of preribosomes. Analogies between sympathetic neurons and the two other cell types studied, namely, chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla and vagal sensory neurons of nodose ganglion, led to the conclusion that rhythmicity is a fundamental characteristic of the nuclear structure devoted to ribosome biogenesis. Attention is focused on the superior cervical ganglion in which amplitude of nucleolar rhythms are greater and in which fibrillar centres exhibit a particular pattern. These results are discussed with regard to the role played by this sympathetic paravertebral ganglion which is known to regulate circadian rhythmic activities of the rat pineal gland. The persistence of these nucleolar rhythms in continuous lighting, as demonstrated in sympathetic superior cervical ganglion neurons, provide evidence that they are endogenously generated. The intrinsic factors underlying these rhythms in morpho-functional organization of the nucleolus are yet unknown.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)