Indication of circadian oscillations in the rat pancreas.
The central circadian oscillator of the suprachiasmatic nucleus controls diurnal rhythmicity of the body with light as its dominant zeitgeber. Recently, peripheral oscillators have been detected in liver and heart, which follow as yet unidentified cues. In this study real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used in analysis of the expression of the major clock genes Per1, Per2, Bmal1, Cry1, Tim (timeless) and Clock, as well as of the output genes Dbp and Rev-erbalpha in the pancreatic tissue of rats. The results presented here indicate a robust circadian expression of clock genes (e.g. Per1 and Bmal1) and the probable existence of a peripheral oscillator in the pancreas. Whether this oscillator regulates the diverse functions of the islets of Langerhans remains to be elucidated.
Mühlbauer
E
E
Saxon Academy of Sciences Leipzig, Karl-Tauchnitz-Str. 1, D-04107 Leipzig, Germany. eckhard.muehlbauer@medizin.uni-halle.de
Wolgast
S
S
Finckh
U
U
Peschke
D
D
Peschke
E
E
D056930:ARNTL Transcription Factors; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D056931:Cryptochromes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D005420:Flavoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D056953:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group D, Member 1; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000235:genetics; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
D056930:ARNTL Transcription Factors; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D056931:Cryptochromes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D005420:Flavoproteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D056953:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group D, Member 1; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C538961:Bmal1 protein, mouse; C538964:Cry1 protein, mouse; C538965:Cry1 protein, rat; C485975:DBP protein, rat; C498263:Nr1d1 protein, rat; C539023:Per1 protein, mouse; C539024:Per1 protein, rat; C513312:Per2 protein, mouse; C513311:Per2 protein, rat; C119828:cry protein, Drosophila; C538944:Clock protein, mouse; C538945:Clock protein, rat