bims-ciryme Biomed News
on Circadian rhythms and metabolism
Issue of 2026–02–15
two papers selected by
Gabriela Da Silva Xavier, University of Birmingham
  1. Circadian rhythm heterogeneity modulates drug response variations in neuroblastoma models.
  2. Reconsidering mammalian circadian organization.
  1. Cell Rep. 2026 Feb 11. pii: S2211-1247(26)00053-7. [Epub ahead of print]45(2): 116975
    Circadian rhythm heterogeneity modulates drug response variations in neuroblastoma models.
    Carolin Ector, Christoph Schmal, Jeff Didier, Sébastien De Landtsheer, Johannes H Schulte, Ulrich Keilholz, Thomas Sauter, Achim Kramer, Hanspeter Herzel, Adrián E Granada.
      Circadian clocks regulate essential cellular functions and influence cancer development and treatment outcomes. Aligning therapy with circadian rhythms can improve efficacy and reduce toxicity, yet whether neuroblastoma, a heterogeneous pediatric tumor, maintains circadian function remains unclear. Here, we systematically profiled circadian dynamics across 12 neuroblastoma cell models using long-term bioluminescence assays and computational analysis. Our findings reveal heterogeneous circadian patterns ranging from robust to arrhythmic, which we linked to distinct neuroblastoma genetic features. By integrating drug sensitivity data, we identified candidate compounds whose effectiveness correlates with circadian expression profiles. Moreover, time-of-day treatment assays with the ALK inhibitor lorlatinib and frontline chemotherapeutics revealed distinct temporal drug responses that were more pronounced in circadian-competent than weakly rhythmic cell lines. Together, these findings establish circadian heterogeneity as a previously unrecognized dimension of neuroblastoma biology and highlight the therapeutic potential of chronotherapy approaches for improved treatment efficacy.
    Keywords:  CP: cancer; CP: metabolism; cancer; chronotherapy; circadian clock; circadian rhythms; neuroblastoma; systems biology; time-of-day sensitivity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.116975
  2. Neurobiol Sleep Circadian Rhythms. 2026 May;20 100144
    Reconsidering mammalian circadian organization.
    Michael C Tackenberg, Maria Luísa Jabbur, Vincent M Cassone, Jeff R Jones.
      A circadian clock enables an organism to occupy a particular temporal niche, and the evolutionary pressures associated with that temporal niche in turn shape the organization of the circadian network in which the clock is embedded. Although circadian organization has often been dichotomized into centralized and distributed systems, our modern understanding of circadian networks reveals a more complex organization that cannot be captured by this simple dichotomy. In this review, we examine how coupling between nodes of the circadian network (from cells, to tissues, to organs) gives rise to coherent circadian organization in mammals. We further highlight how comparative research on non-mammalian organisms reveals conserved and divergent strategies for circadian coupling that inform general principles of circadian network function across species.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbscr.2026.100144
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