Circadian rhythms and clocks in adipose tissues: current insights

Abstract:

Endogenous circadian timekeepers are found in most cells and organs of the body, including the different types of adipose tissues. This clock network orchestrates 24-hour rhythms of physiology and behavior to adapt the organism to daily recurring changes in the environment. Energy intake and expenditure as well as adipose physiology are under circadian control and, therefore, energy homeostasis and circadian clock function are closely linked. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the regulation and targets of adipocyte circadian clocks and how circadian rhythm disruption affects energy homeostasis and adipose tissue function. We provide a more detailed overview of metabolic phenotypes of different mouse models of circadian clock dysfunction and discuss the implications of (adipose) clock disruption on adipocyte–brain cross talk and metabolic homeostasis.

Keywords::

• food intake
• metaflammation
• clock genes
• adipocyte–brain cross talk
• adipokines

Author contributions

All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and revising the paper and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

HO is a Lichtenberg Fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation. CEK was funded in part by a CRC grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; TR-SFB134). JTK was funded by a GRK grant of the DFG (GRK1957). The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.