Genes Dev. 2021 Feb 18.
Flore Sinturel,
Pascal Gos,
Volodymyr Petrenko,
Claudia Hagedorn,
Florian Kreppel,
Kai-Florian Storch,
Darko Knutti,
Andre Liani,
Charles Weitz,
Yann Emmenegger,
Paul Franken,
Luigi Bonacina,
Charna Dibner,
Ueli Schibler.
It has been assumed that the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizes peripheral circadian oscillators. However, this has never been convincingly shown, since biochemical time series experiments are not feasible in behaviorally arrhythmic animals. By using long-term bioluminescence recording in freely moving mice, we show that the SCN is indeed required for maintaining synchrony between organs. Surprisingly, however, circadian oscillations persist in the livers of mice devoid of an SCN or oscillators in cells other than hepatocytes. Hence, similar to SCN neurons, hepatocytes can maintain phase coherence in the absence of Zeitgeber signals produced by other organs or environmental cycles.
Keywords: circadian gene expression; in vivo bioluminescence recording; liver; suprachiasmatic nucleus