Light-at-night is known to produce a wide variety of behavioral outcomes including promoting anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, abnormal sociability, and learning and memory deficits. Unfortunately, we all live in a 24-h society where people are exposed to light-at-night or light pollution through night-shift work - the need for all-hours emergency services - as well as building and street-lights, making light-at-night exposure practically unavoidable. Additionally, the increase in screentime (tvs and smart devices) during the night also contributes to poorer sleep and behavioral impairments. Compounding these factors is the fact that adolescents tend to be \"night owls\" and prefer an evening chronotype compared to younger children and adults, so these teenagers will have a higher likelihood of being exposed to light-at-night. Making matters worse is the prevalence of high-school start times of 8 am or earlier - a combination of too early school start times, light exposure during the night, and preference for evening chronotypes is a recipe for reduced and poorer sleep, which can contribute to increased susceptibility for behavioral issues for this population. As such, this mini-review will show, using both human and rodent model studies, how light-at-night affects behavioral outcomes and stress responses, connecting photic signaling and the circadian timing system to the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis. Additionally, this review will also demonstrate that adolescents are more likely to exhibit abnormal behavior in response to light-at-night due to changes in development and hormone regulation during this time period, as well as discuss potential interventions that can help mitigate these negative effects.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of mechanical strain on clock gene function in periodontal ligament (PDL) cells. Furthermore, we wanted to analyze whether effects induced by mechanical stress vary in relation to the circadian rhythm.
METHODS: Human PDL fibroblasts were synchronized in their circadian rhythm with dexamethasone and stretched over 24 h. Unstretched cells served as controls. Gene expression of the core clock genes were analyzed at 4 h intervals by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Time points 0 h (group SI1) and 12 h (group SI2) after synchronization served as starting points of a 4 h force application period. Collagen-1α (COL-1α/Col-1α), interleukin-1β (IL1-β), and runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2/Runx2) were assessed by qRT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after 2 and 4 h. Statistical analysis comprised one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc tests.
RESULTS: After synchronization, the typical pattern for clock genes was visible in control cells over the 24 h period. This pattern was significantly altered by mechanical strain. Under tensile stress, ARNTL gene expression was reduced, while Per1 and 2 gene expression were upregulated. In addition, mechanical stress had a differential effect on the expression of Col-1α and IL1‑β depending on its initiation within the circadian rhythm (group SI1 vs group SI2). For RUNX2, no significant differences in the two groups were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that mechanical stress affects the molecular peripheral oscillator of PDL cells. Vice versa, the circadian rhythm also seems to partially influence the effects that mechanical stress exerts on PDL cells.
UNASSIGNED: ZIEL: Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den Einfluss von mechanischer Belastung, wie sie auch im Rahmen einer kieferorthopädischen Zahnbewegung auf das Parodontalligament (PDL) appliziert wird, auf Funktionen von Clock-Genen zu untersuchen. Zusätzlich sollte analysiert werden, ob sich eine mechanische Belastung in Abhängigkeit der zirkadianen Rhythmik unterschiedlich auf wichtige Proteine der PDL-Zellen auswirkt.
METHODS: Die periphere zirkadiane Rhythmik humaner PDL-Zellen wurde mittels Dexamethason synchronisiert und einer statischen Dehnung von 20% über bis zu 24 h ausgesetzt. Parallel wurde eine Kontrollgruppe ohne Dehnung angesetzt. In Zeitintervallen von 4 h wurde die Genexpression der Clock-Gene mittels qRT-PCR („quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction“) bestimmt. Weiter wurden die Zellen einem Dehnungsintervall von 4 h zu den Zeitpunkten 0 h (Gruppe SI1) und 12 h (Gruppe SI2) nach Synchronisation ausgesetzt. Die Expression der Gene Collagen-1α (Col-1α), Interleukin-1β (IL1-β) und Runt-verwandter Transkriptionsfaktor 2 (RUNX2) wurde jeweils nach 2 und 4 h mittels qRT-PCR und ELISA („enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay“) quantifiziert. Die statistische Analyse erfolgte über eine einseitige Varianzanalyse (ANOVA) und Post-hoc-Tests.
UNASSIGNED: In den Kontrollzellen war nach Synchronisation das für die Clock-Gene typische Muster im Verlauf der 24 h erkennbar. Dieses wurde durch die mechanische Belastung signifikant verändert. Unter Zugbelastung wurde eine Verringerung der ARNTL-Genexpression verzeichnet, während die Per1- und Per2-Genexpression hochreguliert wurden. Die mechanische Belastung hatte abhängig von der Initiierung nach Synchronisation (Gruppe SI1 vs. Gruppe SI2) einen unterschiedlichen Einfluss auf die Expression von Col-1α und IL1‑β. Für Runx2 wurde in beiden Gruppen kein Unterschied beobachtet.
UNASSIGNED: Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass mechanische Belastung den molekularen peripheren Oszillator der PDL-Zellen beeinflusst. Umgekehrt scheint auch die zirkadiane Rhythmik die Auswirkungen von mechanischem Stress auf PDL-Zellen teilweise zu beeinflussen.

Blood pressure (BP) displays a circadian rhythm and disruptions in this pattern elevate cardiovascular risk. While both central and peripheral clock genes are implicated in these processes, the importance of vascular clock genes is not fully understood. BP, vascular reactivity, and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system display overt sex differences, but whether changes in circadian patterns underlie these differences is unknown. Therefore, we hypothesized that circadian rhythms and vascular clock genes would differ across sex and would be blunted by Ang II-induced hypertension. Ang II infusion elevated BP and disrupted circadian patterns similarly in both males and females. In females, an impact on heart rate and locomotor activity was revealed, while in males hypertension suppressed baroreflex sensitivity. A marked disruption in the vascular expression patterns of Per1 and Bmal1 were noted in both sexes. Vascular expression of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (Gper1) also showed diurnal synchronization in both sexes that was similar to that of Per1 and Per2 and disrupted by hypertension. In contrast, vascular expression of Esr1 showed a diurnal rhythm and hypertension-induced disruption only in females. This study shows a strikingly similar impact of hypertension on BP rhythmicity, vascular clock genes, and vascular estrogen receptor expression in both sexes. We identified a greater impact of hypertension on locomotor activity and heart rate in females and on baroreflex sensitivity in males and also revealed a diurnal regulation of vascular estrogen receptors. These insights highlight the intricate ties between circadian biology, sex differences, and cardiovascular regulation.

Analyses of gene-expression dynamics in research on circadian rhythms and sleep homeostasis often describe these two processes using separate models. Rhythmically expressed genes are, however, likely to be influenced by both processes. We implemented a driven, damped harmonic oscillator model to estimate the contribution of circadian- and sleep-wake-driven influences on gene expression. The model reliably captured a wide range of dynamics in cortex, liver, and blood transcriptomes taken from mice and humans under various experimental conditions. Sleep-wake-driven factors outweighed circadian factors in driving gene expression in the cortex, whereas the opposite was observed in the liver and blood. Because of tissue- and gene-specific responses, sleep deprivation led to a long-lasting intra- and inter-tissue desynchronization. The model showed that recovery sleep contributed to these long-lasting changes. The results demonstrate that the analyses of the daily rhythms in gene expression must take the complex interactions between circadian and sleep-wake influences into account. A record of this paper\'s transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.

Most insects enter diapause, a state of physiological dormancy crucial for enduring harsh seasons, with photoperiod serving as the primary cue for its induction, ensuring proper seasonal timing of the process. Although the involvement of the circadian clock in the photoperiodic time measurement has been demonstrated through knockdown or knockout of clock genes, the involvement of clock gene cryptochrome 1 (cry1), which functions as a photoreceptor implicated in photoentrainment of the circadian clock across various insect species, remains unclear. In bivoltine strains of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, embryonic diapause is maternally controlled and affected by environmental conditions experienced by mother moths during embryonic and larval stages. Previous research highlighted the role of core clock genes, including period (per), timeless (tim), Clock (Clk) and cycle (cyc), in photoperiodic diapause induction in B. mori. In this study, we focused on the involvement of cry1 gene in B. mori photoperiodism. Phylogenetic analysis and conserved domain identification confirmed the presence of both Drosophila-type cry (cry1) and mammalian-type cry (cry2) genes in the B. mori genome, akin to other lepidopterans. Temporal expression analysis revealed higher cry1 gene expression during the photophase and lower expression during the scotophase, with knockouts of core clock genes (per, tim, Clk and cyc) disrupting this temporal expression pattern. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, we established a cry1 knockout strain in p50T, a bivoltine strain exhibiting clear photoperiodism during both embryonic and larval stages. Although the wild-type strain displayed circadian rhythm in eclosion under continuous darkness, the cry1 knockout strain exhibited arrhythmic eclosion, implicating B. mori cry1 in the circadian clock feedback loop governing behavior rhythms. Females of the cry1 knockout strain failed to control photoperiodic diapause induction during both embryonic and larval stages, mirroring the diapause phenotype of the wild-type individuals reared under constant darkness, indicating that B. mori CRY1 contributes to photoperiodic time measurement as a photoreceptor. Furthermore, photoperiodic diapause induction during the larval stage was abolished in a cry1/tim double-knockout strain, suggesting that photic information received by CRY1 is relayed to the circadian clock. Overall, this study represents the first evidence of cry1 involvement in insect photoperiodism, specifically in diapause induction.

The advent of artificial lighting, particularly during the evening and night, has significantly altered the predictable daily light and dark cycles in recent times. Altered light environments disrupt the biological clock and negatively impact mood and cognition. Although adolescents commonly experience chronic changes in light/dark cycles, our understanding of how the adolescents\' brain adapts to altered light environments remains limited. Here, we investigated the impact of chronic light cycle disruption (LCD) during adolescence, exposing adolescent mice to 19 h of light and 5 h of darkness for 5 days and 12 L:12D for 2 days per week (LCD group) for 4 weeks. We showed that LCD exposure did not affect circadian locomotor activity but impaired memory and increased avoidance response in adolescent mice. Clock gene expression and neuronal activity rhythms analysis revealed that LCD disrupted local molecular clock and neuronal activity in the dentate gyrus (DG) and in the medial amygdala (MeA) but not in the circadian pacemaker (SCN). In addition, we characterized the photoresponsiveness of the MeA and showed that somatostatin neurons are affected by acute and chronic aberrant light exposure during adolescence. Our research provides new evidence highlighting the potential consequences of altered light environments during pubertal development on neuronal physiology and behaviors.

The bidirectional relationship between cerebral structures and the gastrointestinal tract involving the microbiota embraces the scientific concept of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The gut microbiome plays an important role in many physiological and biochemical processes of the human body, in the immune response and maintenance of homeostasis, as well as in the regulation of circadian rhythms. There is a relationship between the higher prevalence of a number of neurological disorders, sleep disorders and changes in the intestinal microbiota, which actualizes the study of the complex mechanisms of such correlation for the development of new treatment and prevention strategies. Environmental factors associated with excessive light exposure can aggravate the gut dysbiosis of intestinal microflora, and as a result, lead to sleep disturbances. This review examines the integrative mechanisms of sleep regulation associated with the gut microbiota (the role of neurotransmitters, short-chain fatty acids, unconjugated bile acids, bacterial cell wall components, cytokines). Taking into account the influence of gut dysbiosis as a risk factor in the development of various diseases, the authors systematize key aspects and modern scientific data on the importance of microflora balance to ensure optimal interaction along the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the context of the regulatory role of the sleep-wake cycle and its disorders.
Двустороння связь между церебральными структурами и желудочно-кишечным трактом с участием микробиоты охватывает научную концепцию оси мозг—кишечник—микробиом. Кишечный микробиом принимает важное участие во многих физиологических и биохимических процессах организма, в иммунном ответе и поддержании гомеостаза, а также в регуляции циркадианных ритмов. Отмечается взаимосвязь между более высокой распространенностью ряда неврологических расстройств, нарушений сна и изменениями в микробиоте кишечника, что актуализирует изучение сложных механизмов такой корреляции для разработки новых стратегий лечения и профилактики. Факторы внешней среды, связанные с избыточным световым воздействием, могут усугубить дисбиоз кишечной микрофлоры, и, как следствие, приводят к нарушениям сна. В настоящем обзоре рассматриваются интегративные механизмы регуляции сна, связанные с микробиотой кишечника (роль нейромедиаторов, короткоцепочечных жирных кислот, неконъюгированных желчных кислот, компонентов бактериальной клеточной стенки, цитокинов). Принимая во внимание влияние дисбиоза кишечника как фактора риска при развитии различных заболеваний, авторами систематизированы ключевые аспекты и современные научные данные о значении баланса микрофлоры для обеспечения оптимального взаимодействия по оси мозг—кишечник—микробиом в контексте с регулирующей ролью цикла сон—бодрствование и его нарушений.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) is a complex disease associated with circadian rhythm and biological clock regulation disorders. Melatonin (MT) is considered a hormone with renal protective effects, but its mechanism of action in DKD is unclear.
METHODS: We used the GSE151325 dataset from the GEO database for differential gene analysis and further explored related genes and pathways through GO and KEGG analysis and PPI network analysis. Additionally, this study used a type 2 diabetes db/db mouse model and investigated the role of melatonin in DKD and its relationship with clock genes through immunohistochemistry, Western blot, real-time PCR, ELISA, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), dual-luciferase reporter technology, and liposome transfection technology to study DEC1 siRNA.
RESULTS: Bioinformatics analysis revealed the central position of clock genes such as CLOCK, DEC1, Bhlhe41, CRY1, and RORB in DKD. Their interaction with key inflammatory regulators may reveal melatonin\'s potential mechanism in treating diabetic kidney disease. Further experimental results showed that melatonin significantly improved the renal pathological changes in db/db mice, reduced body weight and blood sugar, regulated clock genes in renal tissue, and downregulated the TLR2/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. We found that the transcription factor DEC1 can bind to the TLR2 promoter and activate its transcription, while CLOCK\'s effect is unclear. Liposome transfection experiments further confirmed the effect of DEC1 on the TLR2/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.
CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin shows significant renal protective effects by regulating clock genes and downregulating the TLR2/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway. The transcription factor DEC1 may become a key regulatory factor for renal inflammation and fibrosis by activating TLR2 promoter transcription. These findings provide new perspectives and directions for the potential application of melatonin in DKD treatment.

Due to the Earth\'s rotation, the natural environment exhibits a light-dark diurnal cycle close to 24 hours. To adapt to this energy intake pattern, organisms have developed a 24-hour rhythmic diurnal cycle over long periods, known as the circadian rhythm, or biological clock. With the gradual advancement of research on the biological clock, it has become increasingly evident that disruptions in the circadian rhythm are closely associated with the occurrence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). To further understand the progress of research on T2D and the biological clock, this paper reviews the correlation between the biological clock and glucose metabolism and analyzes its potential mechanisms. Based on this, we discuss the potential factors contributing to circadian rhythm disruption and their impact on the risk of developing T2D, aiming to explore new possible intervention measures for the prevention and treatment of T2D in the future. Under the light-dark circadian rhythm, in order to adapt to this change, the human body forms an internal biological clock involving a variety of genes, proteins and other molecules. The main mechanism is the transcription-translation feedback loop centered on the CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer. The expression of important circadian clock genes that constitute this loop can regulate T2DM-related blood glucose traits such as glucose uptake, fat metabolism, insulin secretion/glucagon secretion and sensitivity in various peripheral tissues and organs. In addition, sleep, light, and dietary factors under circadian rhythms also affect the occurrence of T2DM.

Circadian rhythms, ~24 h cycles of physiological and behavioral processes, can be synchronized by external signals (e.g., light) and persist even in their absence. Consequently, dysregulation of circadian rhythms adversely affects the well-being of the organism. This timekeeping system is generated and sustained by a genetically encoded endogenous mechanism composed of interlocking transcriptional/translational feedback loops that generate rhythmic expression of core clock genes. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and forward genetic studies show that SNPs in clock genes influence gene regulation and correlate with the risk of developing various conditions. We discuss genetic variations in core clock genes that are associated with various phenotypes, their implications for human health, and stress the need for thorough studies in this domain of circadian regulation.