Differential rescue of light- and food-entrainable circadian rhythms

When food is plentiful, circadian rhythms of animals are powerfully entrained by the light-dark cycle. However, if animals have access to food only during their normal sleep cycle, they will shift most of their circadian rhythms to match the food availability. We studied the basis for entrainment of circadian rhythms by food and light in mice with targeted disruption of the clock gene Bmal1, which lack circadian rhythmicity. Injection of a viral vector containing the Bmal1 gene into the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus restored light-entrainable, but not food-entrainable, circadian rhythms. In contrast, restoration of the Bmal1 gene only in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus restored the ability of animals to entrain to food but not to light. These results demonstrate that the dorsomedial hypothalamus contains a Bmal1-based oscillator that can drive food entrainment of circadian rhythms.     

Estradiol shortens the period of hamster circadian rhythms

Continuous administration of estradiol benzoate by means of subcutaneously implanted capsules shortened the free-running circadian period of locomotor activity of blind hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) that had had their ovaries removed. Estradiol also advanced the phase of the wheel running of sighted female hamsters without ovaries that were entrained to a photoperiod with 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness. These results, and findings from hamsters undergoing natural estrous cycles, indicate that endogenous estradiol is involved in the regulation of circadian periodicity.     

Entrainment of circadian rhythms by sound in Passer domesticus

The circadian locomotor rhythm of house sparrows was entrained by a sound stimulus. The birds were maintained at a constant temperature in, dim green light. The entraining agent was 4 (1/2) 12 hours of tape-recorded bird song ,played each day. Variations in the response to this stimulus have been correlated with individual variations in free-running period. This is the first clear demonstration that a biological clock can be influenced by sound stimuli.     

Searching for genes underlying behavior: lessons from circadian rhythms

The success of forward genetic (from phenotype to gene) approaches to uncover genes that drive the molecular mechanism of circadian clocks and control circadian behavior has been unprecedented. Links among genes, cells, neural circuits, and circadian behavior have been uncovered in the Drosophila and mammalian systems, demonstrating the feasibility of finding single genes that have major effects on behavior. Why was this approach so successful in the elucidation of circadian rhythms? This article explores the answers to this question and describes how the methods used successfully for identifying the molecular basis of circadian rhythms can be applied to other behaviors such as anxiety, addiction, and learning and memory.     

Comment on "Differential rescue of light- and food-entrainable circadian rhythms"

Fuller et al. (Reports, 23 May 2008, p. 1074) reported that the dorsomedial hypothalamus contains a Bmal1-based oscillator that can drive food-entrained circadian rhythms. We report that mice bearing a null mutation of Bmal1 exhibit normal food-anticipatory circadian rhythms. Lack of food anticipation in Bmal1-/- mice reported by Fuller et al. may reflect morbidity due to weight loss, thus raising questions about their conclusions.     

Human circadian rhythms in continuous darkness: entrainment by social cues

Three groups of two subjects each were kept in underground chambers, first for 4 days in an artificial light-dark cycle, and thereafter for 4 days in complete darkness. They lived on a rigorous time schedule. Physiological as well as psychological functions were measured at 3-hour intervals. There were no differences in the results between the two sections of the experiment. Social cues are sufficient to entrain human circadian rhythms, and absence of light has no immediate effect on the functions measured.     

Testosterone induces "splitting" of circadian locomotor activity rhythms in birds

Under the influence of testosterone, the free-running circadian rhythm of locomotor activity of the starling, Sturnus vulgaris, tends to "split" into two components which temporarily run with different circadian frequencies: "splitting" occurred in intact birds whose testes grew, and in castrated birds that were injected with testosterone. Since "splitting" most probably reflects the temporal separation of two (or two groups of) circadian oscillators, these results suggest that testosterone affects the mutual coupling of circadian oscillators controlling locomotor activity.     

热应激诱导大鼠小肠昼夜节律基因差异表达的研究

采用石蜡切片H.E染色观察热应激大鼠小肠形态学变化,利用Realtime-PCR技术对小肠中昼夜节律相关基因的表达进行研究。结果:大鼠小肠上皮出现严重损伤,肠黏膜绒毛顶端上皮细胞脱落,固有层裸露;热应激导致Per2和DBP基因瞬时表达极大升高,节律性受到严重影响,Bmal1基因瞬时表达差异不明显,其mRNA表达量峰值后移。     

Multiple circadian oscillators regulate the timing of behavioral and endocrine rhythms in female golden hamsters

A single daily "surge" in pituitary luteinizing hormone release was observed in ovariectomized-estrogen-treated hamsters expressing an intact circadian rhythm of locomotor activity. In contrast, two luteinizing hormone surges occurred within a single 24-hour period in hamsters whose activity rhythm had dissociated or "split" into two distinct components. These observations indicate that both behavioral and endocrine circadian rhythms are regulated by the same multioscillator system, which seems to be composed of at least two distinct circadian oscillators.     

Endotoxin-stimulated opioid peptide secretion: two secretory pools and feedback control in vivo

Small doses of endotoxin evoked a dramatic biphasic response of opioid peptide secretion into blood in sheep. The first phase began within minutes and coincided with a brief hypertensive response to endotoxin well before the appearance of fever or hypotension. The ratio of beta-endorphin to beta-lipotropin fell abruptly at the onset of the second phase of release, suggesting early depletion of a pool rich in beta-endorphin and subsequent emergence of a pool rich in unprocessed precursor. The concentration of cerebrospinal fluid opioids increased tenfold during the second phase. Naloxone administration augmented endotoxin-induced opioid secretion in both early and late phases, suggesting a short-loop feedback regulation of stress-induced endorphin secretion.     

Nonopiate effects of dynorphin and des-Tyr-dynorphin

Intracerebroventricular administration of dynorphin produced potent and long-lasting effects on motor function and the electroencephalogram in rats. In addition, local iontophoretic or pressure ejection of dynorphin consistently inhibited hippocampal unit activity. None of these effects were significantly affected by naloxone even at high doses. Moreover, a fragment of dynorphin that failed to displace any of a number of tritiated narcotics from rat brain homogenates produced similar effects on these physiological measures in vivo. On the basis of a variety of criteria for "opiate action," the results suggest that a second biologically active site within the dynorphin sequence is capable of quite potent but nonopiate effects.     

倒刺鲃仔鱼饥饿耐力的研究

在水温为(27.0±0.5)℃条件下,通过饥饿试验,观察了饥饿对倒刺鲃Spinibarbus denticulatus仔鱼摄食、生长与形态变化和存活的影响,研究饥饿胁迫下倒刺鲃仔鱼的饥饿耐力。结果表明:倒刺鲃5日龄仔鱼初次开口的摄食率达90%,6¹1日龄仔鱼的初次摄食率持续达100%,12日龄开始下降,17日龄进入饥饿不可逆点(PNR);延迟111日龄仔鱼的初次摄食率持续达100%,12日龄开始下降,17日龄进入饥饿不可逆点(PNR);延迟1⁸ d投喂对仔鱼存活的影响不显著,之后,仔鱼的成活率随延迟投喂天数的增加而显著降低,饥饿仔鱼超过50%死亡率发生在PNR前1 d;完全饥饿条件下,饥饿08 d投喂对仔鱼存活的影响不显著,之后,仔鱼的成活率随延迟投喂天数的增加而显著降低,饥饿仔鱼超过50%死亡率发生在PNR前1 d;完全饥饿条件下,饥饿0⁷ d内,仔鱼全长为正增长,之后,全长开始转为负增长,饥饿仔鱼鳍褶消失速度减缓,臀鳍芽发育停滞,腹鳍芽未能形成,在接近或处在PNR期时,仔鱼的形态发生显著变化,出现脊索弯曲、头大身瘦、肠道萎缩、胆囊膨大且里面充满黄绿色胆汁以及胸角等现象。从形态上的变化可对倒刺鲃仔鱼的营养水平作出初步判断。倒刺鲃仔鱼的补偿生长能力和耐饥饿能力较强。     

倒刺鲃仔鱼饥饿耐力的研究

在水温为（27.0±0.5）℃条件下,通过饥饿试验,观察了饥饿对倒刺鲃Spinibarbus denticulatus仔鱼摄食、生长与形态变化和存活的影响,研究饥饿胁迫下倒刺鲃仔鱼的饥饿耐力。结果表明：倒刺鲃5日龄仔鱼初次开口的摄食率达90%,6-11日龄仔鱼的初次摄食率持续达100%,12日龄开始下降,17日龄进入饥饿不可逆点（PNR）;延迟1-8 d投喂对仔鱼存活的影响不显著,之后,仔鱼的成活率随延迟投喂天数的增加而显著降低,饥饿仔鱼超过50%死亡率发生在PNR前1 d;完全饥饿条件下,饥饿0-7 d内,仔鱼全长为正增长,之后,全长开始转为负增长,饥饿仔鱼鳍褶消失速度减缓,臀鳍芽发育停滞,腹鳍芽未能形成,在接近或处在PNR期时,仔鱼的形态发生显著变化,出现脊索弯曲、头大身瘦、肠道萎缩、胆囊膨大且里面充满黄绿色胆汁以及＂胸角＂等现象。从形态上的变化可对倒刺鲃仔鱼的营养水平作出初步判断。倒刺鲃仔鱼的补偿生长能力和耐饥饿能力较强。     

植物干旱胁迫下水分代谢、碳饥饿与死亡机理

植物在生长发育过程中受众多环境因子共同作用。随着全球气候变化,气温升高、降水量下降等问题频繁出现。目前气象学家一致预测未来环境变暖会使干旱更加频繁剧烈,这一环境改变使植物死亡更加严重。植物在水分胁迫、特别是干旱胁迫条件下,体内水分代谢与碳代谢会发生失衡现象:光合速率降低、蒸腾速率降低,带来生长降低;为维持植物新陈代谢,植物呼吸作用必然下调。在长期干旱胁迫条件下植物体内碳水化合物储存发生失衡现象,这种失衡使植物陷入碳饥饿现象。另外,由于水分失衡而出现的木质部栓塞和空穴会进一步加剧水分运输障碍,而修复空穴则需要大量非结构性碳水化合物(NSC),这使植物陷入两难选择。总结了植物干旱胁迫下,碳饥饿与水分代谢、植物死亡关系的相关研究,对未来的研究方向和重点提出建议,以期对未来的植物死亡研究提供帮助。