Refeeding after Fasting Elicits Insulin-Dependent Regulation of Per2 and Rev-erbα with Shifts in the Liver Clock

The expressions of liver Per2 and Rev-erbα genes were phase-advanced within 1 day of refeeding.

• Phase changes in liver clock gene expression occur rapidly in response to feeding schedules.
• Insulin, released during food intake, can induce both the upregulation of Per2 and the down-regulation of Rev-erbα within 2 hours.
• The feeding-induced changes in gene expression were absent in insulin-deficient mice but could be restored through insulin injection.
• Insulin injection during the daytime was shown to advance the expression rhythm of liver Per2 in specific mouse models.
• Acute increases in Per2 gene expression and phase advances in its rhythm were also observed in fibroblasts after insulin infusion.

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