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Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Parallel Measurement of Circadian Clock Gene Expression and Hormone Secretion in Human Primary Cell Cultures
Published on: November 11, 2016
Light does not phase shift the circadian clock of subcutaneous adipose tissue in vitro
Anna Edmondson1, Charley Beresford1, Jan-Frieder Harmsen2,3,4
1MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract:
The retinal photopigment melanopsin is also expressed in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). Through melanopsin, light can modulate scWAT metabolism, but its impact on circadian phase is unclear. In vitro exposure of murine scWAT to bright light at different times over 24 h did not elicit phase shifts, unlike the response to corticosterone. This finding suggests that the direct impact of bright light on scWAT metabolism occurs in a circadian-independent manner.
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