The University of Tokyo · 신경과학
이 교수의 연구실은 생체 시계의 분자 기반 메커니즘과 대사 조절 간의 상호작용을 중심으로 연구를 진행하고 있습니다. 특히 CLOCK 유전자가 간, 췌장, 지방세포 등 여러 대사 조직에서 대사 관련 유전자(예: PPARα, FGF21, Gys2)의 순환적 발현을 조절하며, 이로 인해 지방 대사, 혈중 지질 수치, 간 당원소 축적 등 대사 리듬이 조절된다는 점을 규명하고 있습니다. 또한 부싘이나 호르몬(예: 코르티솔)이 대사 리듬에 미치는 영향과 유전자 발현의 시계적 조절 메커니즘을 밝혀내는 데에도 기여하고 있습니다.
표시된 성과는 수집된 데이터 기준으로 산출되며, 일부 차이가 있을 수 있습니다.
CLOCK is a positive component of a transcription/translation-based negative feedback loop of the central circadian oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in mammals. To examine CLOCK-regulated circadian transcription in peripheral tissues, we performed microarray analyses using liver RNA isolated from Clock mutant mice. We also compared expression profiles with those of Cryptochromes (Cry1 and Cry2) double knockout mice. We identified more than 100 genes that fluctuated from day to night and
PPARalpha (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor alpha) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism. In the present study, we show that circadian expression of mouse PPARalpha mRNA requires the basic helix-loop-helix PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) protein CLOCK, a core component of the negative-feedback loop that drives circadian oscillators in mammals. The circadian expression of PPARal
Recent progress in genome-wide expression analysis has identified hundreds of circadian genes not only in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (the mammalian master clock) but also in peripheral tissues, such as heart, liver and kidney of mammals. Glucocorticoid is thought to be a circadian time cue for mammalian peripheral clocks. To identify the genes of which the circadian expression is regulated by endogenous glucocorticoids, we performed DNA microarray analysis using hepatic RNA from adrenalectomize
The Clock gene is a core component of the circadian clock in mammals. We show here that serum levels of triglyceride and free fatty acid were significantly lower in circadian Clock mutant ICR than in wild-type control mice, whereas total cholesterol and glucose levels did not differ. Moreover, an increase in body weight induced by a high-fat diet was attenuated in homozygous Clock mutant mice. We also found that dietary fat absorption was extremely impaired in Clock mutant mice. Circadian expres
Hepatic glycogen content is important for glucose homeostasis and exhibits robust circadian rhythms that peak at the end of the active phase in mammals. The activities of the rate-limiting enzymes for glycogenesis and glycogenolysis also show circadian rhythms, and the balance between them forms the circadian rhythm of the hepatic glycogen content. However, no direct evidence has yet implicated the circadian clock in the regulation of glycogen metabolism at the molecular level. We show here that
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a nuclear receptor that regulates the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism. Recent studies have suggested that the expression of PPARalpha-dependent fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) plays important roles in adaptation to fasting, such as lipolysis and ketogenesis. We found that a nighttime injection of bezafibrate, a ligand of PPARalpha, effectively induced FGF21 expression, whereas a daytime injection did not aff
Our results suggest that endogenous clock-regulated circadian corticosterone secretion from the adrenal gland is involved in the effect of a Clock mutation on daily profiles of circulating WBC. However, intact CLOCK seems unnecessary for generating the rhythm of corticosterone secretion in mice. Our results also suggest that CLOCK is involved in discharge of RBC from the spleen.
