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Diurnal rhythmic expression of the rhythm-related genes, rPeriod1, rPeriod2, and rClock, in the rat brain

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Journal of Biomedical Science

Abstract

High densities of the mRNA of three rhythm-related genes, rPeriod1 (rPer1), rPer2, and rClock, which share high homology in Drosophila and mammals, are found in the rat hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN, however, is not the only brain region that expresses these genes. To understand the possible physiological roles of these rhythm-related genes, we examined expression of these genes in different brain regions at various time points in male Sprague--Dawley rats. Using semi quantitativein situ hybridization with 35S-riboprobes to evaluate mRNA levels, the diurnal rhythmicity of rPer1, and rPer2 mRNA levels was found in the SCN, arcuate nucleus, and median eminence/pars tuberalis. Expression patterns of mRNA for rPer1 and rPer2, however, were not similar in these brain regions. The rhythmicity in these brain regions was specific, because it was not observed in the cerebellum or hippocampus. Moreover, diurnal changes in rClock mRNA expression were not detected in any of the brain regions examined. These findings suggest that the different expression patterns observed for rPer1, rPer2, and rClock mRNAs may be attributed to their different physiological roles in these brain regions, and support previous work indicating that circadian rhythms in the brain are widespread.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neuroscience, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, 970, ROC

    Kun-Ruey Shieh

  2. Department of Physiology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, 970, ROC

    Kun-Ruey Shieh & Shu-Chuan Yang

  3. Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi College of Technology, Hualien, 970, ROC

    Shu-Chuan Yang

  4. Mental Health Research Institute, The University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Kun-Ruey Shieh, Xin-Yun Lu, Huda Akil & Stanley J. Watson

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  1. Kun-Ruey Shieh
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  2. Shu-Chuan Yang
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Correspondence to Kun-Ruey Shieh.

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Shieh, KR., Yang, SC., Lu, XY. et al. Diurnal rhythmic expression of the rhythm-related genes, rPeriod1, rPeriod2, and rClock, in the rat brain. J Biomed Sci 12, 209–217 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11373-004-8176-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11373-004-8176-6

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