RNA sequencing of suprachiasmatic nuclues, retina, liver and lung collected at day and night from African Four Striped Mice (Rhabdomys pumilio) housed under dim vs bright daytime light
Circadian clocks are essential for generating and coordinating rhythms in animals' physiology, behaviour, and metabolism. These activities are regulated by intracellular molecular clocks that operate with a ~24 hour periodicity. The African striped mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio, is notable for undergoing temporal niche switching from ancestrally nocturnal to diurnal, although the molecular components of its' circadian organization remain unknown. We undertook transcriptome profiling of daily rhythms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and in the liver, lung and retina of Rhabdomys stably housed under a stable 12h:12h light:dark cycle with bright (n=10) or dim (n=10) daytime light intensity. Tissues were collected at two time points: two hours after lights on (Zeitgeber Time (ZT2)) coinciding with high behavioural activity, or two hours after lights off (ZT14) during the animal's resting/sleep period, and RNA-sequencing performed.