Journal of vascular researchDec 7, 2016

Different Control of Key Body Clock Proteins and Blood Vessel Signals in the Aortic Arch and Blocked Carotid Artery

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

BMAL1 and CLOCK expression in the aortic arch decreases with reduced sensitivity to acetylcholine-mediated relaxation.

Wild-type mice showed reduced sensitivity to acetylcholine in the aortic arch compared to the thoracic aorta.
Clock-mutant mice exhibited lower sensitivity to acetylcholine in the aorta.
In wild-type mice, the phosphorylated forms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and AKT were reduced in the aortic arch.
Surgically induced flow reduction led to increased phosphorylated-eNOS and p-AKT in the left common carotid artery of wild-type mice.
BMAL1 and CLOCK expression increased in the remodeled left common carotid artery after 5 days.
Wild-type mice displayed higher eNOS expression at 8 p.m. compared to 8 a.m., a pattern not observed in Clock-mutant or Bmal1-KO mice.

Simplified

The circadian clock is rhythmically expressed in blood vessels, but the interaction between the circadian clock and disturbed blood flow remains unclear. We examined the relationships between BMAL1 and CLOCK and 2 regulators of endothelial function, AKT1 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), in vascular regions of altered blood flow. We found that the aortic arch from WT mice exhibited reduced sensitivity to acetylcholine (Ach)-mediated relaxation relative to the thoracic aorta. In Clock-mutant (mut) mice the aorta exhibited a reduced sensitivity to Ach. In WT mice, the phosphorylated forms of eNOS and AKT were decreased in the aortic arch, while BMAL1 and CLOCK expression followed a similar pattern of reduction in the arch. In conditions of surgically induced flow reduction, phosphorylated-eNOS (serine 1177) increased, as did p-AKT in the ipsilateral left common carotid artery (LC) of WT mice. Similarly, BMAL1 and CLOCK exhibited increased expression after 5 days in the remodeled LC. eNOS expression was increased at 8 p.m. versus 8 a.m. in WT mice, and this pattern was abolished in mut and Bmal1-KO mice. These data suggest that the circadian clock may be a biomechanical and temporal sensor that acts to coordinate timing, flow dynamics, and endothelial function.

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PubMed

Different Control of Key Body Clock Proteins and Blood Vessel Signals in the Aortic Arch and Blocked Carotid Artery

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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