A study explores the effects of night shift work on human gene expression. Various medical disorders, including diabetes and cancer, have been associated with night shift work. Understanding the physiological mechanisms contributing to such health effects could aid the treatment of conditions related to shift work. Diane B. Boivin and colleagues studied the effect of simulated night shift work on the circadian regulation of the human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) transcriptome in a cohort of 8 participants, 18-29 years of age. The authors delayed the habitual sleep period of the participants by up to 10 hours over a 4-day period, and collected blood samples during two 24-hour measurement sessions before and after the 4-day simulation of night shift work. RNA extracted from PMBCs--a subset of white blood cells--yielded transcriptome data indicating that circadian rhythms in the transcriptome did not adapt to the shifted sleep-wake cycle during the night shift simulation. The effect was linked to a dampening of circadian rhythms in gene expression profiles. Additional functional analysis of the transcriptomes revealed that the night shift protocol modulated key biological processes, including the natural killer cell-mediated immune response. The findings highlight potential effects of night shift work on human health, according to the authors.
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Article #17-20719: "Simulated night shift work induces circadian misalignment of the human peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptome," by Laura Kervezee, Marc Cuesta, Nicolas Cermakian, and Diane B. Boivin.
MEDIA CONTACT: Diane B. Boivin, McGill University, Montreal, CANADA; tel: 514-761-6131, 514-928-2829; e-mail: <diane.boivin@douglas.mcgill.ca>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences