1
|
Obodo D, Outland EH, Hughey JJ. Sex Inclusion in Transcriptome Studies of Daily Rhythms. J Biol Rhythms 2023; 38:3-14. [PMID: 36419398 PMCID: PMC9903005 DOI: 10.1177/07487304221134160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Biomedical research on mammals has traditionally neglected females, raising the concern that some scientific findings may generalize poorly to half the population. Although this lack of sex inclusion has been broadly documented, its extent within circadian genomics remains undescribed. To address this gap, we examined sex inclusion practices in a comprehensive collection of publicly available transcriptome studies on daily rhythms. Among 148 studies having samples from mammals in vivo, we found strong underrepresentation of females across organisms and tissues. Overall, only 23 of 123 studies in mice, 0 of 10 studies in rats, and 9 of 15 studies in humans included samples from females. In addition, studies having samples from both sexes tended to have more samples from males than from females. These trends appear to have changed little over time, including since 2016, when the US National Institutes of Health began requiring investigators to consider sex as a biological variable. Our findings highlight an opportunity to dramatically improve representation of females in circadian research and to explore sex differences in daily rhythms at the genome level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dora Obodo
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee,Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Elliot H. Outland
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jacob J. Hughey
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee,Program in Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee,Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee,Jacob J. Hughey, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2525 West End Ave., Suite 1475, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; e-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hang PZ, Liu J, Wang JP, Li FF, Li PF, Kong QN, Shi J, Ji HY, Du ZM, Zhao J. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone alleviates cardiac fibrosis by restoring circadian signals via downregulating Bmal1/Akt pathway. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 938:175420. [PMID: 36427535 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) pathway is a therapeutic target in cardiac diseases. A BDNF mimetic, 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF), is emerging as a protective agent in cardiomyocytes; however, its potential role in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and fibrosis remains unknown. Thus, we aimed to explore the effects of 7,8-DHF on cardiac fibrosis and the possible mechanisms. Myocardial ischemia (MI) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were used to establish models of cardiac fibrosis. Hematoxylin & eosin and Masson's trichrome stains were used for histological analysis and determination of collagen content in mouse myocardium. Cell viability kit, EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) assay and immunofluorescent stain were employed to examine the effects of 7,8-DHF on the proliferation and collagen production of CFs. The levels of collagen I, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), TGF-β1, Smad2/3, and Akt as well as circadian rhythm-related signals including brain and muscle Arnt-like protein 1 (Bmal1), period 2 (Per2), and cryptochrome 2 (Cry2) were analyzed. Treatment with 7,8-DHF markedly alleviated cardiac fibrosis in MI mice. It inhibited the activity of CFs accompanied by decreasing number of EdU-positive cells and downregulation of collagen I, α-SMA, TGF-β1, and phosphorylation of Smad2/3. 7,8-DHF significantly restored the dysregulation of Bmal1, Per2, and Cry2, but inhibited the overactive Akt. Further, inhibition of Bmal1 by SR9009 effectively attenuated CFs proliferation and collagen production of CFs. In summary, these findings indicate that 7,8-DHF attenuates cardiac fibrosis and regulates circadian rhythmic signals, at least partly, by inhibiting Bmal1/Akt pathway, which may provide new insights into therapeutic cardiac remodeling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Zhou Hang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China; Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, 225001, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Jia-Pan Wang
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Feng-Feng Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Pei-Feng Li
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Qing-Nan Kong
- Department of Pharmacology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Hong-Yu Ji
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Zhi-Min Du
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China.
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, 225001, China; Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schroder EA, Delisle BP. Time Restricted Feeding to the Light Cycle Dissociates Canonical Circadian Clocks and Physiological Rhythms in Heart Rate. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:910195. [PMID: 35645828 PMCID: PMC9133719 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.910195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are approximate 24-h biological cycles that optimize molecular and physiological functions to predictable daily environmental changes in order to maintain internal and organismal homeostasis. Environmental stimuli (light, feeding, activity) capable of altering the phase of molecular rhythms are important tools employed by circadian biologists to increase understanding of the synchronization of circadian rhythms to the environment and to each other within multicellular systems. The central circadian clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is largely responsive to light and is thought to entrain the phase of peripheral clocks via neurohumoral signals. Mice are nocturnal and consume most of their food during the dark cycle. Early studies demonstrated that altered metabolic cues in the form of time restricted feeding, specifically, feeding mice during the light cycle, resulted in an uncoupling of molecular clocks in peripheral tissues with those from the SCN. These studies showed as much as a 12-h shift in gene expression in some peripheral tissues but not others. The shifts occurred without corresponding changes in the central clock in the brain. More recent studies have demonstrated that changes in cardiac physiology (heart rate, MAP) in response to time of food intake occur independent of the cardiac molecular clock. Understanding differences in the physiology/function and gene expression in other organs both independently and in relation to the heart in response to altered feeding will be important in dissecting the roles of the various clocks throughout the body, as well as, understanding their links to cardiovascular pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Schroder
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
- *Correspondence: Elizabeth A. Schroder, ; Brian P. Delisle,
| | - Brian P. Delisle
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
- *Correspondence: Elizabeth A. Schroder, ; Brian P. Delisle,
| |
Collapse
|