Loss of ZBTB20 impairs circadian output and leads to unimodal behavioral rhythms.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27657167.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.17171 and PMC identifier 5033604.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Many animals display morning and evening bimodal activities in the day/night cycle. However, little is known regarding the potential components involved in the regulation of bimodal behavioral rhythms in mammals. Here, we identified that the zinc finger protein gene <i>Zbtb20</i> plays a crucial role in the regulation of bimodal activities in mice. Depletion of <i>Zbtb20</i> in nerve system resulted in the loss of early evening activity, but the increase of morning activity. We found that <i>Zbtb20</i>-deficient mice exhibited a pronounced decrease in the expression of <i>Prokr2</i> and resembled phenotypes of <i>Prok2</i> and <i>Prokr2</i>-knockout mice. Injection of adeno-associated virus-double-floxed <i>Prokr2</i> in suprachiasmatic nucleus could partly restore evening activity in <i>Nestin-Cre; Zbtb20</i><sup>fl/fl</sup> (NS-ZB20KO) mice. Furthermore, loss of <i>Zbtb20</i> in <i>Foxg1</i> loci, but intact in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, was not responsible for the unimodal activity of NS-ZB20KO mice. Our study provides evidence that ZBTB20-mediated PROKR2 signaling is critical for the evening behavioral rhythms.