Artificial light at night disrupts expression of circadian and metabolic genes in the green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

May 12, 2026Proceedings. Biological sciences

Artificial Night Light Changes Daily and Metabolic Gene Activity in Green Anole Lizards

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Abstract

Artificial light at night (ALAN) significantly altered clock-related genes in the brain, liver, and skin of green anole lizards.

Gene expression analysis showed significant changes in circadian genes due to ALAN exposure.
Differential expression of glucagon signaling and lipid metabolism genes in the liver indicates potential metabolic disruptions.
In the skin, genes associated with wound healing were upregulated under natural light-dark conditions, suggesting impaired repair mechanisms under ALAN.
The study provides the first transcriptomics evidence of light pollution's impact on green anoles.
An interactive online database was developed to explore gene expression changes related to ALAN.

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Artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural light-dark cycles, posing ecological challenges for wildlife in urban environments. This study investigated ALAN's effects on gene expression in the brain, liver, eyes, gonad and skin of green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis), increasingly exposed to urban light pollution. We hypothesized that ALAN would alter circadian rhythms by disrupting nighttime darkness and predicted differential expression of genes involved in photoreception, circadian regulation, metabolism and photoperiodic responses. To identify affected pathways, we analysed the expression of circadian and metabolic genes under three conditions: midday in full light, midnight in full darkness and midnight under artificial light. Differential expression analysis revealed that clock-related genes were significantly altered in the brain, liver and skin following ALAN exposure. Genes involved in glucagon signalling and lipid metabolism were differentially expressed in the liver, indicating potential metabolic disruptions. The skin showed distinct responses, with genes related to cellular processes such as wound healing upregulated under natural light-dark conditions, suggesting compromised repair mechanisms under ALAN. Our findings demonstrate that ALAN disrupts core circadian genes and physiological processes, providing the first transcriptomics evidence of light pollution's impact on green anoles. We also developed an interactive online database for exploring gene expression changes under ALAN.

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Artificial light at night disrupts expression of circadian and metabolic genes in the green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis)

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