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Circadian rhythms

Methylation mediates clock plasticity

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 15, pages 206–207 (2014)Cite this article

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The authors exposed mice to either normal day lengths of 12 h light and 12 h darkness (control mice) or shortened day lengths of 11 h light and 11 h darkness (22 h mice) for 4 weeks, and then assessed how the preceding light–dark cycle influenced their internal (or 'free running') behavioural rhythm during a week spent in darkness. As previously shown, shortening the light–dark cycle resulted in a backwards shift in the timing of behavioural activity.

Transcriptome sequencing of SCN tissue taken from 22 h mice and control mice after the week in darkness revealed that day-length shortening had changed the expression level — measured 4 h after the mice fell asleep (known as circadian time 4 (CT4)) — of clock genes and of many non-circadian genes, including some genes involved in DNA methylation.

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References

  1. Azzi, A. et al. Circadian behavior is light-reprogrammed by plastic DNA methylation. Nature Neurosci. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn.3651 (2014)

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Authors
  1. Leonie Welberg
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Masri, S. & Sassone-Corsi, P. The circadian clock: a framework linking metabolism, epigenetics and neuronal function. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 14, 69–75 (2013)

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Welberg, L. Methylation mediates clock plasticity. Nat Rev Neurosci 15, 206–207 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3712

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