Chi-Castañeda Donají, Ortega Arturo
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México Soluciones para un México Verde, S.A de C.V., Santa Fé Ciudad de México, México.
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
ASN Neuro. 2016 Sep 25;8(5). doi: 10.1177/1759091416670766. Print 2016 Oct.
Circadian rhythms are periodic patterns in biological processes that allow the organisms to anticipate changes in the environment. These rhythms are driven by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian clock in vertebrates. At a molecular level, circadian rhythms are regulated by the so-called clock genes, which oscillate in a periodic manner. The protein products of clock genes are transcription factors that control their own and other genes' transcription, collectively known as "clock-controlled genes." Several brain regions other than the SCN express circadian rhythms of clock genes, including the amygdala, the olfactory bulb, the retina, and the cerebellum. Glia cells in these structures are expected to participate in rhythmicity. However, only certain types of glia cells may be called "glial clocks," since they express PER-based circadian oscillators, which depend of the SCN for their synchronization. This contribution summarizes the current information about clock genes in glia cells, their plausible role as oscillators and their medical implications.
昼夜节律是生物过程中的周期性模式，使生物体能够预测环境变化。这些节律由视交叉上核（SCN）驱动，SCN是脊椎动物的主生物钟。在分子水平上，昼夜节律由所谓的时钟基因调控，这些基因以周期性方式振荡。时钟基因的蛋白质产物是转录因子，它们控制自身以及其他基因的转录，这些基因统称为“时钟控制基因”。除SCN外，其他几个脑区也表达时钟基因的昼夜节律，包括杏仁核、嗅球、视网膜和小脑。这些结构中的神经胶质细胞有望参与节律性活动。然而，只有某些类型的神经胶质细胞可能被称为“胶质生物钟”，因为它们表达基于PER的昼夜振荡器，其同步依赖于SCN。本综述总结了关于神经胶质细胞中时钟基因的当前信息、它们作为振荡器的可能作用及其医学意义。
