Evolving roles of circadian rhythms in liver homeostasis and pathology

Oncotarget. 2016 Feb 23;7(8):8625-39. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.7065.

Abstract

Circadian clock in mammals is determined by a core oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus and synchronized peripheral clocks in other tissues. The coherent timing systems could sustain robust output of circadian rhythms in response to the entrainment controlled environmentally. Disparate approaches have discovered that clock genes and clock-controlled genes (CCGs) exist in nearly all mammalian cell types and are essential for establishing the mechanisms and complexity of internal time-keeping systems. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the control of homeostasis and pathology in the liver involves intricate loops of transcriptional and post-translational regulation of clock genes expression. This review will focus on the recent advances with great importance concerning clock rhythms linking liver homeostasis and diseases. We particularly highlight what is currently known of the evolving insights into the mechanisms underlying circadian clock . Eventually , findings during recent years in the field might prompt new circadian-related chronotherapeutic strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases by coupling these processes.

Keywords: circadian rhythms; epigenetic modifications; hepatocellular carcinoma; liver fibrosis; liver metabolism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Circadian Rhythm / physiology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Homeostasis / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Liver / physiopathology*
  • Liver Diseases / physiopathology*