Dacso, C. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2019

12h-clock control of central dogma information flow by XBP1s

Our group recently discovered a cell-autonomous mammalian 12h-clock regulating physiological unfolded protein response. Xbp1s ablation impairs 12h-transcript oscillations in vitro, and we now show liver-specific deletion of XBP1s globally impaired murine 12h-transcriptome, but not the circadian rhythms in vivo. XBP1s-dependent 12h-transcriptome is enriched for transcription, mRNA processing, ribosome biogenesis, translation, and protein ER-Golgi processing/sorting in a temporal order consistent with the progressive molecular processing sequence described by the central dogma information flow (CEDIF). The 12h-rhythms of CEDIF are cell-autonomous and evolutionarily conserved in circatidal marine animals. Mechanistically, we found the motif stringency of promoter XBP1s binding sites, but not necessarily XBP1s expression, dictates its ability to drive 12h-rhythms of transcription and further identified GABP as putative novel transcriptional regulator of 12h-clock. We hypothesize the 12h-rhythms of CEDIF allows rush hours gene expression and processing, with the particular genes processed at each rush hour regulated by circadian and/or tissue specific pathways.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2017

A novel mathematical method for disclosing oscillations ingene transcription: a comparative study

Circadian rhythmicity, the 24-hour cycle responsive to light and dark, is determined by periodic oscillations in gene transcription. This phenomenon has broad ramifications in physiologic function. Recent work has disclosed more cycles in gene transcription, and to the uncovering of these we apply a novel signal processing methodology known as the pencil method and compare it to conventional parametric, nonparametric, and statistical methods. Methods: In order to assess periodicity of gene expression over time, we analyzed a database derived from livers of mice entrained to a 12-hour light/12-hour dark cycle. We also analyzed artificially generated signals to identify differences between the pencil decomposition and other alternative methods.\n\nResultsThe pencil decomposition revealed hitherto-unsuspected oscillations in gene transcription with 12-hour periodicity. The pencil method was robust in detecting the 24-hour circadian cycle that was known to exist, as well as confirming the existence of shorter-period oscillations. A key consequence of this approach is that orthogonality of the different oscillatory components can be demonstrated. thus indicating a biological independence of these oscillations, that has been subsequently confirmed empirically by knocking out the gene responsible for the 24-hour clock.\n\nConclusionSystem identification techniques can be applied to biological systems and can uncover important characteristics that may elude visual inspection of the data. Significance: The pencil method provides new insights on the essence of gene expression and discloses a wide variety of oscillations in addition to the well-studied circadian pattern. This insight opens the door to the study of novel mechanisms by which oscillatory gene expression signals exert their regulatory effect on cells to influence human diseases.

cell biology↗