Purpose: Sleep loss markedly affects the structure and function of the lacrimal gland and may cause ocular surface disease as a common public health problem. This study aims to investigate the circadian disturbance caused by sleep loss leading to dysfunction of extraorbital lacrimal glands (ELGs).
Methods: A mouse sleep deprivation (SD) model for sleep loss studies was built in C57BL/6J male mice. After four weeks, the ELGs were collected at three-hour intervals during a 24-hour period. The Jonckheere-Terpstra-Kendall algorithm was used to determine the composition, phase, and rhythmicity of transcriptomic profiles in ELGs. Furthermore, we compared the non-sleep-deprived and SD-treated mouse ELG (i) reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescein staining, (ii) DNA damage by immunostaining for γ-H2Ax, and (iii) circadian migration of immune cells by immunostaining for CD4, CD8, γδ-TCR, CD64, and CX3CR1. Finally, we also evaluated (i) the locomotor activity and core body temperature rhythm of mice and (ii) the mass, cell size, and tear secretion of the ELGs.
Results: SD dramatically altered the composition and phase-associated functional enrichment of the circadian transcriptome, immune cell trafficking, metabolism, cell differentiation, and neural secretory activities of mouse ELGs. Additionally, SD caused the ROS accumulation and consequent DNA damage in the ELGs, and the ELG dysfunction caused by SD was irreversible.
Conclusions: SD damages the structure, function, and diurnal oscillations of ELGs. These results highlight comprehensive characterization of insufficient sleep-affected ELG circadian transcriptome that may provide a new therapeutic approach to counteract the effects of SD on ELG function.