Peripheral Circadian Clocks in the Vasculature

Jun 2, 2007Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology

Body’s blood vessel clocks that keep daily rhythms

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Abstract

Circadian clocks are present in peripheral cells, including those in the cardiovascular system.

Living organisms adapt their physiology and behaviors to daily environmental changes.
Circadian clocks synchronize with external cues like light and temperature.
Peripheral tissues, including those in the cardiovascular system, have their own circadian clocks.
Cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke show diurnal variation.
Biological responses regulated by the molecular clock may interact with environmental factors to impact cardiovascular disease.

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Living organisms have adapted to the daily rotation of the earth and regular changes in the light environment. Life forms anticipate environmental transitions, adapt their own physiology, and perform activities at behaviorally advantageous times during the day. This is achieved by means of endogenous circadian clocks that can be synchronized to the daily changes in external cues, most notably light and temperature. For many years it was thought that neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) uniquely controlled circadian rhythmicity of peripheral tissues via neural and humoral signals. The cloning and characterization of mammalian clock genes revealed that they are expressed in a circadian manner throughout the body. It is now accepted that peripheral cells, including those of the cardiovascular system, contain a circadian clock similar to that in the SCN. Many aspects of cardiovascular physiology are subject to diurnal variation, and serious adverse cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, and stroke occur with a frequency conditioned by time of day. This has raised the possibility that biological responses under the control of the molecular clock might interact with environmental cues to influence the phenotype of human cardiovascular disease.

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Peripheral Circadian Clocks in the Vasculature

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