• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Sunday, August 24, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Fat cells work different ‘shifts’ throughout the day

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
February 25, 2019
in Biology
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Fat cells in the human body have their own internal clocks and exhibit circadian rhythms affecting critical metabolic functions, new research in the journal Scientific Reports, finds.

Researchers led by Dr Jonathan Johnston from the University of Surrey conducted the first ever analysis of circadian rhythms in human fat taken from people isolated from daily environmental changes. Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour changes governed by the body’s internal clocks. Misalignment of ‘human clocks’ with each other and the environment is believed to be a major contributor to obesity and poor health.

During this unique study seven participants underwent regulated sleep-wake cycles and meal times before entering the laboratory, where they maintained this routine for a further three days.

Participants then experienced a 37- hour ‘constant routine’ during which time they did not experience daily changes in light-dark, feed-fast and sleep-wake cycles. Biopsies of fat tissue were taken at six hourly intervals and then followed by an analysis of gene expression.

Researchers identified 727 genes in the fat tissue that express their own circadian rhythm, many carrying out key metabolic functions. A clear separation in gene rhythms was identified with approximately a third peaking in the morning and two thirds in the evening.

Morning-peaking transcripts were associated with regulation of gene expression and nucleic acid biology (vital for cell functioning), while evening-peaking transcripts associated with redox activity and organic acid metabolism.

These rhythms, which are independent of external factors such as light and feeding, demonstrate that genes within fat cells naturally complete their functions at different times during the day which could impact on metabolic processes.

Fat cells play an important role in our body, acting as energy stores and controlling metabolism and appetite via hormone secretion.

Lead author Dr Jonathan Johnston, Reader in Chronobiology and Integrative Physiology, at the University of Surrey, said: “Tissues made up of fat cells don’t just store excess energy, they are active metabolic tissues, full of their own rhythms.

“This is the first time that we have been able to identify such rhythms in human fat. This provides us with more information about how human metabolism changes across the day and possibly why the body processes foods differently during day and night.”

###

Media Contact
Natasha Meredith
[email protected]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39668-3

Tags: Circadian RhythmDiet/Body WeightMedicine/HealthMetabolism/Metabolic DiseasesNutrition/NutrientsSleep/Sleep Disorders
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Exploring Tadpole Buccopharyngeal Morphology in Sphaenorhynchini

August 24, 2025
Cinnamon Extracts: Impact on Musca domestica Responses

Cinnamon Extracts: Impact on Musca domestica Responses

August 24, 2025

Frog Legs: Diverse Origins Revealed by DNA Barcoding

August 24, 2025

Evaluating Potchefstroom Koekoek Chickens in Varied Environments

August 24, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    141 shares
    Share 56 Tweet 35
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    114 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    85 shares
    Share 34 Tweet 21
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    81 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Creating the Pediatric Weight Questionnaire for Youth Obesity

Exploring Tadpole Buccopharyngeal Morphology in Sphaenorhynchini

Triglyceride-Glucose and Waist Circumference: Diabetes Risk Insights

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.