Circadian Variations in Gene Expression in Rat Abdominal Adipose Tissue and Relationship to Physiology

Circadian rhythms occur in all levels of organization from expression of genes to complex physiological processes. Although much is known about the mechanism of the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the regulation of clocks present in peripheral tissues as well as the genes regulated by those clocks is still unclear. In this study, the circadian regulation of gene expression was examined in rat adipose tissue. A rich time series involving 54 animals euthanized at 18 time points within the 24-h cycle (12:12 h light-dark) was performed. mRNA expression was examined with Affymetrix gene array chips and quantitative real-time PCR, along with selected physiological measurements. Transcription factors involved in the regulation of central rhythms were examined, and 13 showed circadian oscillations. Mining of microarray data identified 190 probe sets that showed robust circadian oscillations. Circadian regulated probe sets were further parsed into seven distinct temporal clusters, with >70% of the genes showing maximum expression during the active/dark period. These genes were grouped into eight functional categories, which were examined within the context of their temporal expression. Circadian oscillations were also observed in plasma leptin, corticosterone, insulin, glucose, triglycerides, free fatty acids, and LDL cholesterol. Circadian oscillation in these physiological measurements along with the functional categorization of these genes suggests an important role for circadian rhythms in controlling various functions in white adipose tissue including adipogenesis, energy metabolism, and immune regulation.