Nuclear receptors linking circadian rhythms and cardiometabolic control

摘要

Many behavioral and physiological processes, including locomotor activity, blood pressure, body temperature, sleep(fasting)/wake(feeding) cycles as well as metabolic regulation display diurnal rhythms. The biological clock ensures proper metabolic alignment of energy substrate availability and processing. Studies in animals and humans highlight a strong link between circadian disorders and altered metabolic responses and cardiovascular events. Shiftwork, for instance, increases the risk to develop metabolic abnormalities resembling the Metabolic Syndrome. Nuclear receptors have long been known as metabolic regulators. Several of them (ie. Rev-erbα, RORα, PPARs) are subjected to circadian variations and are integral components of the molecular clock machinery. In turn, these nuclear receptors regulate downstream target genes in a circadian manner, acting to properly gate metabolic events to the appropriate circadian time window.