Transcriptional profiling in the adrenal gland reveals circadian regulation of hormone biosynthesis genes and nucleosome assembly genes.
The master circadian pacemaker of the suprachiasmatic nuclei coordinates behavioral and physiological rhythms via synchronization of subordinate peripheral oscillators in the central nervous system and organs throughout the body. Among these organs, the adrenal glands hold a prime position because of their regulatory influence on numerous physiological functions via rhythmic secretion of catecholamines and corticoid hormones into the bloodstream. In this report, the authors perform whole genome microarray hybridization to characterize the circadian transcriptome of the murine adrenal. They show that ~5% of the mouse genome is under circadian control in this gland. Using gene ontology analysis, they identify classes of transcripts that may synchronize adrenal hormone production. The authors' expression profiling also revealed that multiple histone genes implicated in either DNA replication or transcriptional regulation are clock controlled, suggesting a novel way by which the circadian clock may regulate the chromatin state.
Oster
Henrik
H
Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany. henrik.oster@well.ox.ac.uk
Damerow
Sebastian
S
Hut
Roelof A
RA
Eichele
Gregor
G
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009991:Oscillometry; D013256:Steroids / Q000737:chemistry; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism
D002843:Chromatin; D009707:Nucleosomes; D013256:Steroids