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Updated: May 29, 2025
Shotgun Lipidomics of Rodent Tissues
Published on: November 18, 2022
Diurnal rhythm-modulated transcriptome analysis of meibomian gland in hyperlipidemic mice using RNA sequencing
Qing Zhang1, Jinxing Su2,3, Jing Chen4
1Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 678 Furong Road, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, People's Republic of China. zhangqing@ahmu.edu.cn.
Aim:
To explore the regulatory mechanism of meibomian gland (MG) in hyperlipidemic mice under a diurnal rhythm by transcriptomic analysis based on high-throughput sequencing.
Methods:
The mouse model of hyperlipidemia induced by four months of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding to a regular light-dark (LD) cycle for 2 weeks was used in this study. Phenotypic observation and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of MGs of the experimental mice were then performed to investigate transcriptional changes due to hyperlipidemia and the diurnal rhythm and their effects on meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
Results:
The expression levels of the identified dysregulated genes were then validated by qRT-PCR. Several significantly regulated genes and enriched pathways were identified as associated with MGD in hyperlipidemic mice under a diurnal rhythm; these genes included some core diurnal clock genes, e.g., Clock, Per2 and Per3. Phenotypic and histological analysis reveals abnormal morphology concomitantly with a modification of the transcriptional landscape of MG caused by HFD.
Conclusion:
Our findings provide us with a deeper understanding of the diurnal rhythm regulation of MG in hyperlipidemic mice altered by daily nutritional challenge.
