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Oda GA, Valentinuzzi VS. A clock for all seasons in the subterranean. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:677-689. [PMID: 37815602 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01677-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
In 1976, Pittendrigh and Daan established a theoretical framework which has coordinated research on circadian clock entrainment and photoperiodism until today. The "wild clocks" approach, which concerns studying wild species in their natural habitats, has served to test their models, add new insights, and open new directions of research. Here, we review an integrated laboratory, field and modeling work conducted with subterranean rodents (Ctenomys sp.) living under an extreme pattern of natural daily light exposure. Tracking animal movement and light exposure with biologgers across seasons and performing laboratory experiments on running-wheel cages, we uncovered the mechanisms of day/night entrainment of the clock and of photoperiodic time measurement in this subterranean organism. We confirmed most of the features of Pittendrigh and Daan's models but highlighted the importance of integrating them with ecophysiological techniques, methodologies, and theories to get a full picture of the clock in the wild. This integration is essential to fully establish the importance of the temporal dimension in ecological studies and tackling relevant questions such as the role of the clock for all seasons in a changing planet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisele A Oda
- Laboratório Binacional de Cronobiologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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2
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Schmal C. The seasons within: a theoretical perspective on photoperiodic entrainment and encoding. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2024; 210:549-564. [PMID: 37659985 PMCID: PMC11226496 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-023-01669-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks are internal timing devices that have evolved as an adaption to the omnipresent natural 24 h rhythmicity of daylight intensity. Properties of the circadian system are photoperiod dependent. The phase of entrainment varies systematically with season. Plastic photoperiod-dependent re-arrangements in the mammalian circadian core pacemaker yield an internal representation of season. Output pathways of the circadian clock regulate photoperiodic responses such as flowering time in plants or hibernation in mammals. Here, we review the concepts of seasonal entrainment and photoperiodic encoding. We introduce conceptual phase oscillator models as their high level of abstraction, but, yet, intuitive interpretation of underlying parameters allows for a straightforward analysis of principles that determine entrainment characteristics. Results from this class of models are related and discussed in the context of more complex conceptual amplitude-phase oscillators as well as contextual molecular models that take into account organism, tissue, and cell-type-specific details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schmal
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
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3
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Méndez-Hernández R, Rumanova VS, Guzmán-Ruiz MA, Foppen E, Moreno-Morton R, Hurtado-Alvarado G, Escobar C, Kalsbeek A, Buijs RM. Minor Changes in Daily Rhythms Induced by a Skeleton Photoperiod Are Associated with Increased Adiposity and Glucose Intolerance. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2023; 7:e2200116. [PMID: 35818679 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Eating during the rest phase is associated with metabolic syndrome, proposed to result from a conflict between food consumption and the energy-saving state imposed by the circadian system. However, in nocturnal rodents, eating during the rest phase (day-feeding, DF) also implies food intake during light exposure. To investigate whether light exposure contributes to DF-induced metabolic impairments, animals receive food during the subjective day without light. A skeleton photoperiod (SP) is used to entrain rats to a 12:12 cycle with two short light pulses framing the subjective day. DF-induced adiposity is prevented by SP, suggesting that the conflict between light and feeding stimulates fat accumulation. However, all animals under SP conditions develop glucose intolerance regardless of their feeding schedule. Moreover, animals under SP with ad libitum or night-feeding have increased adiposity. SP animals show a delayed onset of the daily rise in body temperature and energy expenditure and shorter duration of nighttime activity, which may contribute to the metabolic disturbances. These data emphasize that metabolic homeostasis can only be achieved when all daily cycling variables are synchronized. Even small shifts in the alignment of different metabolic rhythms, such as those induced by SP, may predispose individuals to metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Méndez-Hernández
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Valentina S Rumanova
- Department of Animal Physiology and Ethology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Ilkovičova ulica č. 6, Bratislava, 842 15, Slovakia
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), Meibergdreef 47, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
| | - Mara A Guzmán-Ruiz
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Ewout Foppen
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), Meibergdreef 47, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism (AGEM), Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Rodrigo Moreno-Morton
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Gabriela Hurtado-Alvarado
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Carolina Escobar
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
| | - Andries Kalsbeek
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), Meibergdreef 47, Amsterdam, 1105 BA, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Endocrinology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism (AGEM), Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud M Buijs
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 3000, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
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Rea MS, Nagare R, Bierman A, Figueiro MG. The circadian stimulus-oscillator model: Improvements to Kronauer’s model of the human circadian pacemaker. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:965525. [PMID: 36238087 PMCID: PMC9552883 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.965525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Modeling how patterns of light and dark affect circadian phase is important clinically and organizationally (e.g., the military) because circadian disruption can compromise health and performance. Limit-cycle oscillator models in various forms have been used to characterize phase changes to a limited set of light interventions. We approached the analysis of the van der Pol oscillator-based model proposed by Kronauer and colleagues in 1999 and 2000 (Kronauer99) using a well-established framework from experimental psychology whereby the stimulus (S) acts on the organism (O) to produce a response (R). Within that framework, using four independent data sets utilizing calibrated personal light measurements, we conducted a serial analysis of the factors in the Kronauer99 model that could affect prediction accuracy characterized by changes in dim-light melatonin onset. Prediction uncertainty was slightly greater than 1 h for the new data sets using the original Kronauer99 model. The revised model described here reduced prediction uncertainty for these same data sets by roughly half.
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Improta GC, Flôres DEFL, Oda GA, Valentinuzzi VS. Daylength Shapes Entrainment Patterns to Artificial Photoperiods in a Subterranean Rodent. J Biol Rhythms 2022; 37:283-295. [DOI: 10.1177/07487304221085105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Photoperiodism plays an important role in the synchronization of seasonal phenomena in various organisms. In mammals, photoperiod encoding is mediated by differential entrainment of the circadian system. The limits of daily light entrainment and photoperiodic time measurement can be verified in organisms that inhabit extreme photic environments, such as the subterranean. In this experimental study, we evaluated entrainment of circadian wheel-running rhythms in South American subterranean rodents, the Anillaco tuco-tucos ( Ctenomys aff. knighti), exposed to different artificial photoperiods, from extremely long to extremely short photophases (LD 21:3, LD 18:6, LD 15:9, LD 9:15, LD 6:18 and LD 3:21). Artificial photoperiods synchronized their activity/rest rhythms and clear differences occurred in (a) phase angles of entrainment relative to the LD cycle and (b) duration of the daily activity phase α. These photoperiod-dependent patterns of entrainment were similar to those reported for epigeous species. Release into constant darkness conditions revealed aftereffects of entrainment to different photoperiods, observed in α but not in the free-running period τ. We also verified if animals coming from summer and winter natural photoperiods entrained equally to the artificial photoperiods by evaluating their phase angle of entrainment, α and τ aftereffects. To this end, experimental animals were divided into “Matching” and “Mismatching” groups, based on whether the experimental photoperiod (short-day [L < 12 h] or long-day [L > 12 h]) matched or not the natural photoperiod to which they had been previously exposed. No significant differences were found in the phase angle of entrainment, α and τ aftereffects in each artificial photoperiod. Our results indicate that the circadian clocks of tuco-tucos are capable of photoperiodic time measurement despite their natural subterranean habits and that the final entrainment patterns achieved by the circadian clock do not depend on the photoperiodic history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovane Carreira Improta
- Laboratóriode Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Danilo Eugênio França Laurindo Flôres
- Laboratóriode Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Gisele Akemi Oda
- Laboratóriode Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Verónica Sandra Valentinuzzi
- Laboratorio de Cronobiología Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja, Anillaco, Argentina
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Flôres DEFL, Jannetti MG, Improta GC, Tachinardi P, Valentinuzzi VS, Oda GA. Telling the Seasons Underground: The Circadian Clock and Ambient Temperature Shape Light Exposure and Photoperiodism in a Subterranean Rodent. Front Physiol 2021; 12:738471. [PMID: 34658922 PMCID: PMC8517108 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.738471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Living organisms anticipate the seasons by tracking the proportion of light and darkness hours within a day—photoperiod. The limits of photoperiod measurement can be investigated in the subterranean rodents tuco-tucos (Ctenomys aff. knighti), which inhabit dark underground tunnels. Their exposure to light is sporadic and, remarkably, results from their own behavior of surface emergence. Thus, we investigated the endogenous and exogenous regulation of this behavior and its consequences to photoperiod measurement. In the field, animals carrying biologgers displayed seasonal patterns of daily surface emergence, exogenously modulated by temperature. In the laboratory, experiments with constant lighting conditions revealed the endogenous regulation of seasonal activity by the circadian clock, which has a multi-oscillatory structure. Finally, mathematical modeling corroborated that tuco-tuco’s light exposure across the seasons is sufficient for photoperiod encoding. Together, our results elucidate the interrelationship between the circadian clock and temperature in shaping seasonal light exposure patterns that convey photoperiod information in an extreme photic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danilo E F L Flôres
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Milene G Jannetti
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Giovane C Improta
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Patricia Tachinardi
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Veronica S Valentinuzzi
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientificas y de Transferencia Tecnológica (CRILAR), Anillaco, Argentina
| | - Gisele A Oda
- Laboratorio de Cronobiologia Binacional Argentina-Brasil, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Taylor SR. Delays are Self-enhancing: An Explanation of the East-West Asymmetry in Recovery from Jetlag. J Biol Rhythms 2021; 36:127-136. [PMID: 33535873 DOI: 10.1177/0748730421990482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence in mammals that recovering from jetlag after westward travel is faster than after eastward travel. To understand why, mathematical models have been used, along with theories of entrainment rooted in experimental evidence. The most complete understanding relies on detailed mathematical modeling, so it is helpful to develop an intuition about why there is an east-west asymmetry. One such intuition is that humans have long periods and therefore recover better when they can delay. Although this is part of the reason, it does not explain why short-period mice also recover from westward travel faster. Our goal is to provide a simple intuition consistent with detailed mathematical theories, but which does not require mathematical expertise to follow. Here, we present the intuition that westward travel is easier to recover from because of a simple principle: delays are self-enhancing.
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Tokuda IT, Schmal C, Ananthasubramaniam B, Herzel H. Conceptual Models of Entrainment, Jet Lag, and Seasonality. Front Physiol 2020; 11:334. [PMID: 32411006 PMCID: PMC7199094 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding entrainment of circadian rhythms is a central goal of chronobiology. Many factors, such as period, amplitude, Zeitgeber strength, and daylength, govern entrainment ranges and phases of entrainment. We have tested whether simple amplitude-phase models can provide insight into the control of entrainment phases. Using global optimization, we derived conceptual models with just three free parameters (period, amplitude, and relaxation rate) that reproduce known phenotypic features of vertebrate clocks: phase response curves (PRCs) with relatively small phase shifts, fast re-entrainment after jet lag, and seasonal variability to track light onset or offset. Since optimization found multiple sets of model parameters, we could study this model ensemble to gain insight into the underlying design principles. We found complex associations between model parameters and entrainment features. Arnold onions of representative models visualize strong dependencies of entrainment on periods, relative Zeitgeber strength, and photoperiods. Our results support the use of oscillator theory as a framework for understanding the entrainment of circadian clocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isao T. Tokuda
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Christoph Schmal
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Hanspeter Herzel
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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