Food entrainment of circadian activity rhythms in Usp46 mutant mice

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K08535
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: Kwansei Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Ebihara Shizufumi 関西学院大学, 理工学部, 教授 (50135331)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 概日リズム / 給餌同調 / マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Circadian wheel-running rhythms of CS mice perfectly entrain to 24h feeding cycles, which is not usually observed in other strains of mice. In addition these mice show typical behavioral phenotype in the tail suspension test and forced swimming test, which are widely used for assessing antidepressant activity and depression-like behavior. We have identified Usp46 as a causative gene for these behavioral phenotypes. Recently, we found that Usp46 KO mice entrain to feeding cycles as CS mice. Because Usp46 affects GABA systems, this study examined the hypothesis that Usp46 is involved in entrainment of circadian activity rhythms to feeding cycles. However, the results does not support this hypothesis.

Free Research Field

時間生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

交代勤務や海外旅行による概日システムのミスアライメント（時差ぼけ状態）や明暗サイクルに同調できない視覚障害者、あるいは非24 時間睡眠覚醒症候群などの概日リズム睡眠障害に対して、食事などの非光同調因子を概日リズムの有効な同調因子として利用できる新しい技術の開発につながる学術的、社会的意義がある。