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Clocking Salt Levels In The Blood: Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance

Date:
July 5, 2009
Source:
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Summary:
New research suggests a link between the circadian rhythm and control of sodium (salt) levels in the blood of mice. Specifically, the circadian clock protein Period 1 was found to function downstream of the hormone aldosterone (a known controller of blood sodium levels and thereby blood pressure) to regulate levels of the alpha-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel in the mouse kidney.
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New research, conducted by Charles Wingo and his colleagues, at the University of Florida, Gainsville, suggests a link between the circadian rhythm and control of sodium (salt) levels in mice.

The hormone aldosterone regulates levels of sodium in the blood and thereby helps control blood pressure. Although it is known that aldosterone regulates sodium levels by controlling expression of the alpha-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel (alpha-ENaC) in the kidney, the molecular pathway by which aldosterone modulates alpha-ENaC levels has not been determined. In a previous study to address this issue,

Wingo and colleagues found that aldosterone induced expression of the circadian clock gene Per1 in mouse cells, but the effects of this induction were not investigated. In this new study, they have revealed that the protein produced from the Per1 gene (Period 1) regulates expression of alpha-ENaC in the mouse kidney.

Importantly, in the absence of Period 1, expression of alpha-ENaC in the mouse kidney was decreased and sodium loss in the urine was increased. Since expression from the Per1 gene seemed to follow a circadian pattern, the authors suggest that the circadian clock has a role in balancing sodium levels in the body.


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Materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Michelle L. Gumz et al. The circadian clock protein Period 1 regulates expression of the renal epithelial sodium channel in mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation, DOI: 10.1172/JCI36908

Cite This Page:

Journal of Clinical Investigation. "Clocking Salt Levels In The Blood: Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 July 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701182914.htm>.
Journal of Clinical Investigation. (2009, July 5). Clocking Salt Levels In The Blood: Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 29, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701182914.htm
Journal of Clinical Investigation. "Clocking Salt Levels In The Blood: Link Between The Circadian Rhythm And Salt Balance." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701182914.htm (accessed March 29, 2024).

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