Interactions of the Circadian CLOCK System and the HPA Axis

Overview

Journal Trends Endocrinol Metab

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2010 Jan 29

PMID 20106676

Citations 154

Authors

Nancy Nader

George P Chrousos

Tomoshige Kino

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Organisms have developed concurrent behavioral and physiological adaptations to the strong influence of day/night cycles, as well as to unforeseen, random stress stimuli. These circadian and stress-related responses are achieved by two highly conserved and interrelated regulatory networks, the circadian CLOCK and stress systems, which respectively consist of oscillating molecular pacemakers, the Clock/Bmal1 transcription factors, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its end-effector, the glucocorticoid receptor. These systems communicate with one another at different signaling levels and dysregulation of either system can lead to development of pathologic conditions. In this review, we summarize the mutual physiologic interactions between the circadian CLOCK system and the HPA axis, and discuss their clinical implications.

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