Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Year in Review
  • Published:

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS IN 2018

The arrival of circadian medicine

Circadian rhythm research is beginning to show how rhythms sustain health. Genome-wide transcriptome, metabolome and proteome studies have improved our understanding of circadian regulation. This knowledge is leveraged for behavioural interventions that optimize daily rhythms, the timing of drug delivery and the targeting of clock components to prevent or treat chronic diseases.

Key advances

  • A reference human circadian transcriptome atlas elucidated tissue-specific circadian regulation1.

  • The human plasma proteome shows diurnal changes and shift work affects a subset of these temporal changes4,5.

  • A high-fat diet disrupts the temporal coordination of transcripts and metabolites across multiple organs in rodents6.

  • Time-restricted eating among men at risk of prediabetes improves blood glucose control and reduces blood pressure without causing weight loss7.

  • Timed administration of drugs without changing dosage can improve potency of anti-inflammatory drugs and pharmacological targeting of circadian clock is a new approach to treat cancer9,10.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Ruben, M. D. et al. A database of tissue-specific rhythmically expressed human genes has potential applications in circadian medicine. Sci. Transl Med. 10, eaat8806 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Qian, J. & Scheer, F. A. Circadian system and glucose metabolism: implications for physiology and disease. Trends Endocrinol. Metab. 27, 282–293 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Mure, L. S. et al. Diurnal transcriptome atlas of a primate across major neural and peripheral tissues. Science 359, eaao0318 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Depner, C. M. et al. Mistimed food intake and sleep alters 24-hour time-of-day patterns of the human plasma proteome. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, E5390–E5399 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wefers, J. et al. Circadian misalignment induces fatty acid metabolism gene profiles and compromises insulin sensitivity in human skeletal muscle. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 7789–7794 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Dyar, K. A. et al. Atlas of circadian metabolism reveals system-wide coordination and communication between clocks. Cell 174, 1571–1585 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Sutton, E. F. et al. Early time-restricted feeding improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress even without weight loss in men with prediabetes. Cell Metab. 27, 1212–1221 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hatori, M. et al. Time-restricted feeding without reducing caloric intake prevents metabolic diseases in mice fed a high-fat diet. Cell Metab. 15, 848–860 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Winter, C. et al. Chrono-pharmacological targeting of the CCL2-CCR2 axis ameliorates atherosclerosis. Cell Metab. 28, 175–182 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sulli, G. et al. Pharmacological activation of REV-ERBs is lethal in cancer and oncogene-induced senescence. Nature 553, 351–355 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Satchidananda Panda.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

S.P. has written a book “The Circadan Code” for which he is paid royalty.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Panda, S. The arrival of circadian medicine. Nat Rev Endocrinol 15, 67–69 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-018-0142-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-018-0142-x

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research