An Essential Role for Peptidergic Signalling in the Control of Circadian Rhythms in the Suprachiasmatic Nuclei

Mar 8, 2003Journal of neuroendocrinology

Peptide signals play a key role in controlling the body's daily rhythms in the brain's clock center

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Abstract

Mice lacking the VPAC2 receptor exhibit altered circadian rhythms and fail to show circadian expression of core clock genes.

  • PACAP and VIP are two neuropeptides that play distinct roles in regulating circadian rhythms in mammals.
  • Mice deficient in the PACAP-selective PAC1 receptor can maintain robust circadian patterns despite altered light responsiveness.
  • VPAC2 receptor null mice rely on light for activity regulation and do not display consistent circadian behaviors in constant darkness.
  • These mice show immediate re-entrainment to changes in the light/dark cycle, indicating a disruption in their internal clock.
  • Lack of VIP signaling in the SCN correlates with the absence of rhythmic expression of core clock genes and the clock-controlled gene AVP.

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