Peripheral clock system circadian abnormalities in Cushing’s disease

ABSTRACT

In Cushing’s syndrome, the cortisol rhythm is impaired and can be associated with the disruption in the rhythmic expression of clock genes. In this study, we evaluated the expression of CLOCK, BMAL1, CRY1, CRY2, PER1, PER2, PER3 genes in peripheral blood leukocytes of healthy individuals (n = 13) and Cushing’s disease (CD) patients (n = 12). Participants underwent salivary cortisol measurement at 0900 h and 2300 h. Peripheral blood samples were obtained at 0900 h, 1300 h, 1700 h, and 2300 h for assessing clock gene expression by qPCR. Gene expression circadian variations were evaluated by the Cosinor method. In healthy controls, a circadian variation in the expression of CLOCK, BMAL1, CRY1, PER2, and PER3 was observed, whereas the expression of PER1 and CRY2 followed no specific pattern. The expression of PER2 and PER3 in healthy leukocytes presented a late afternoon acrophase, similarly to CLOCK, whereas CRY1 showed night acrophase, similarly to BMAL1. In CD patients, the circadian variation in the expression of clock genes was lost, along with the abolition of cortisol circadian rhythm. However, CRY2 exhibited a circadian variation with acrophase during the dark phase in patients. In conclusion, our data suggest that Cushing’s disease, which is characterized by hypercortisolism, is associated with abnormalities in the circadian pattern of clock genes. Higher expression of CRY2 at night outlines its putative role in the cortisol circadian rhythm disruption.     

草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫的转录组比较分析

【目的】草地贪夜蛾Spodoptera frugiperda是一种新近入侵我国的重要害虫。本研究旨在对草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫两个不同发育阶段的转录组进行比较分析。【方法】利用高通量测序技术对草地贪夜蛾雄性成虫和5龄幼虫进行转录组测序和数据组装,并对转录组数据进行功能注释和比较分析。【结果】经de novo组装共获得209 002条转录本,平均长度为687.55 bp,N50为982 bp。共有46 198条(57.43%) unigene在至少一个数据库中获得功能注释,其中1 713条(2.13%) unigene在所有数据库中均能获得注释。在GO数据库中获得205 269条unigene的注释,主要包括68个功能分类;在KEGG数据库中共有3 408条unigene得到注释,涉及277个代谢通路。共鉴定到424个嗅觉相关的基因,并且在雄性成虫和5龄幼虫之间的表达存在差异。通过比较转录组分析,在雄性成虫中鉴定到9 162个上调和6 399个下调差异表达基因(DEGs);功能富集分析发现在上调DEGs中涉及信息素以及信号转导的代谢通路显著富集,而下调DEGs中涉及解毒相关的通路显著富集。【结论】这些转录组数据为探究草地贪夜蛾的生长发育、嗅觉相关功能基因以及候选分子靶标提供资源信息。     

Constant light disrupts the circadian but not the circatidal rhythm in mangrove crickets

Mangrove crickets have a circatidal activity rhythm (~12.6 h cycles) with a circadian modulation under constant darkness (DD), whereby activity levels are higher during subjective night low tides than subjective day low tides. This study explored the locomotor activity rhythm of mangrove crickets under constant light (LL). Under LL, the crickets also exhibited a clear circatidal activity rhythm with a free-running period of 12.6 ± 0.26 h (mean ± SD, n = 6), which was not significantly different from that observed under DD. In contrast, activity levels were almost the same between subjective day and night, unlike those under DD, which were greater during subjective night. The loss of circadian modulation under LL may be explained by the suspension of the circadian clock in these conditions. These results strongly suggest that the circatidal activity rhythm is driven by its own clock system, distinct from the circadian clock.