Prolonged sleep deprivation induces a cytokine-storm-like syndrome in mammals

Chronic sleep deprivation impairs retinal circadian transcriptome and visual function

Sleep loss is common in modern society and is increasingly associated with eye diseases. However, the precise effects of sleep loss on retinal structure and function, particularly on the retinal circadian system, remain largely unexplored. This study investigates these effects using a chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) model in mice. Our investigation reveals that CSD significantly alters the retinal circadian transcriptome, leading to remarkable changes in the temporal patterns of enriched pathways. This perturbation extends to metabolic and immune-related transcriptomes, coupled with an accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the retina. Notably, CSD rhythmically affects the thickness of the ganglion cell complex, along with diurnal shifts in microglial migration and morphology within the retina. Most critically, we observe a marked decrease in both scotopic and photopic retinal function under CSD conditions. These findings underscore the broad impact of sleep deprivation on retinal health, highlighting its role in altering circadian gene expression, metabolism, immune response, and structural integrity. Our study provides new insights into the broader impact of sleep loss on retinal health.

A longitudinal electrophysiological and behavior dataset for PD rat in response to deep brain stimulation

Here we presented an electrophysiological dataset collected from layer V of the primary motor cortex (M1) and the corresponding behavior dataset from normal and hemi-parkinson rats over 5 consecutive weeks. The electrophysiological dataset was constituted by the raw wideband signal, neuronal spikes, and local field potential (LFP) signal. The open-field test was done and recorded to evaluate the behavior variation of rats among the entire experimental cycle. We conducted technical validation of this dataset through sorting the spike data to form action potential waveforms and analyzing the spectral power of LFP data, then based on these findings a closed-loop DBS protocol was developed by the oscillation activity response of M1 LFP signal. Additionally, this protocol was applied to the hemi-parkinson rat for five consecutive days while simultaneously recording the electrophysiological data. This dataset is currently the only publicly available dataset that includes longitudinal closed-loop DBS recordings, which can be utilized to investigate variations of neuronal activity within the M1 following long-term closed-loop DBS, and explore additional reliable biomarkers.

Oncogenic fatty acid oxidation senses circadian disruption in sleep-deficiency-enhanced tumorigenesis

Circadian disruption predicts poor cancer prognosis, yet how circadian disruption is sensed in sleep-deficiency (SD)-enhanced tumorigenesis remains obscure. Here, we show fatty acid oxidation (FAO) as a circadian sensor relaying from clock disruption to oncogenic metabolic signal in SD-enhanced lung tumorigenesis. Both unbiased transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal that FAO senses SD-induced circadian disruption, as illustrated by continuously increased palmitoyl-coenzyme A (PA-CoA) catalyzed by long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1). Mechanistically, SD-dysregulated CLOCK hypertransactivates ACSL1 to produce PA-CoA, which facilitates CLOCK-Cys194 S-palmitoylation in a ZDHHC5-dependent manner. This positive transcription-palmitoylation feedback loop prevents ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of CLOCK, causing FAO-sensed circadian disruption to maintain SD-enhanced cancer stemness. Intriguingly, timed β-endorphin resets rhythmic Clock and Acsl1 expression to alleviate SD-enhanced tumorigenesis. Sleep quality and serum β-endorphin are negatively associated with both cancer development and CLOCK/ACSL1 expression in patients with cancer, suggesting dawn-supplemented β-endorphin as a potential chronotherapeutic strategy for SD-related cancer.

Resilience to diabetic retinopathy

Chronic elevation of blood glucose at first causes relatively minor changes to the neural and vascular components of the retina. As the duration of hyperglycemia persists, the nature and extent of damage increases and becomes readily detectable. While this second, overt manifestation of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been studied extensively, what prevents maximal damage from the very start of hyperglycemia remains largely unexplored. Recent studies indicate that diabetes (DM) engages mitochondria-based defense during the retinopathy-resistant phase, and thereby enables the retina to remain healthy in the face of hyperglycemia. Such resilience is transient, and its deterioration results in progressive accumulation of retinal damage. The concepts that co-emerge with these discoveries set the stage for novel intellectual and therapeutic opportunities within the DR field. Identification of biomarkers and mediators of protection from DM-mediated damage will enable development of resilience-based therapies that will indefinitely delay the onset of DR.

Glucose competition between endothelial cells in the blood-spinal cord barrier and infiltrating regulatory T cells is linked to sleep restriction-induced hyperalgesia

BACKGROUND

Sleep loss is a common public health problem that causes hyperalgesia, especially that after surgery, which reduces the quality of life seriously.

METHODS

The 48-h sleep restriction (SR) mouse model was created using restriction chambers. In vivo imaging, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were performed to detect the status of the blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB). Paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) was measured to track mouse pain behavior. The role of infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) and endothelial cells (ECs) in mouse glycolysis and BSCB damage were analyzed using flow cytometry, Western blot, CCK-8 assay, colorimetric method and lactate administration.

RESULTS

The 48-h SR made mice in sleep disruption status and caused an acute damage to the BSCB, resulting in hyperalgesia and neuroinflammation in the spinal cord. In SR mice, the levels of glycolysis and glycolysis enzymes of ECs in the BSCB were found significantly decreased [CON group vs. SR group: CD31+Glut1+ cells: p < 0.001], which could cause dysfunction of ECs and this was confirmed in vitro. Increased numbers of infiltrating T cells [p < 0.0001] and Treg population [p < 0.05] were detected in the mouse spinal cord after 48-h SR. In the co-cultured system of ECs and Tregs in vitro, the competition of Tregs for glucose resulted in the glycolysis disorder of ECs [Glut1: p < 0.01, ENO1: p < 0.05, LDHα: p < 0.05; complete tubular structures formed: p < 0.0001; CCK8 assay: p < 0.001 on 24h, p < 0.0001 on 48h; glycolysis level: p < 0.0001]. An administration of sodium lactate partially rescued the function of ECs and relieved SR-induced hyperalgesia. Furthermore, the mTOR signaling pathway was excessively activated in ECs after SR in vivo and those under the inhibition of glycolysis or co-cultured with Tregs in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Affected by glycolysis disorders of ECs due to glucose competition with infiltrating Tregs through regulating the mTOR signaling pathway, hyperalgesia induced by 48-h SR is attributed to neuroinflammation and damages to the barriers, which can be relieved by lactate supplementation.

Disrupting circadian control of autophagy induces podocyte injury and proteinuria

The circadian clock influences a wide range of biological process and controls numerous aspects of physiology to adapt to the daily environmental changes caused by Earth's rotation. The kidney clock plays an important role in maintaining tubular function, but its effect on podocytes remains unclear. Here, we found that podocytes expressed CLOCK proteins, and that 2666 glomerular gene transcripts (13.4%), including autophagy related genes, had 24-hour circadian rhythms. Deletion of Clock in podocytes resulted in 1666 gene transcripts with the loss of circadian rhythm including autophagy genes. Podocyte-specific Clock knockout mice at age three and eight months showed deficient autophagy, loss of podocytes and increased albuminuria. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequence analysis indicated autophagy related genes were targets of CLOCK in podocytes. ChIP-PCR further confirmed Clock binding to the promoter regions of Becn1 and Atg12, two autophagy related genes. Furthermore, the association of CLOCK regulated autophagy with chronic sleep fragmentation and diabetic kidney disease was analyzed. Chronic sleep fragmentation resulted in the loss of glomerular Clock rhythm, inhibition of podocyte autophagy, and proteinuria. Rhythmic oscillations of Clock also disappeared in high glucose treated podocytes and in glomeruli from diabetic mice. Finally, circadian differences in podocyte autophagy were also abolished in diabetic mice. Deletion Clock in podocytes aggravated podocyte injury and proteinuria in diabetic mice. Thus, our findings demonstrate that clock-dependent regulation of autophagy may be essential for podocyte survival. Hence. loss of circadian controlled autophagy may play an important role in podocyte injury and proteinuria.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells as an Integrative Hub Linking Lifestyle to Cardiovascular Health

Despite breakthroughs in modern medical care, the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is even more prevalent globally. Increasing epidemiologic evidence indicates that emerging cardiovascular risk factors arising from the modern lifestyle, including psychosocial stress, sleep problems, unhealthy diet patterns, physical inactivity/sedentary behavior, alcohol consumption, and tobacco smoking, contribute significantly to this worldwide epidemic, while its underpinning mechanisms are enigmatic. Hematological and immune systems were recently demonstrated to play integrative roles in linking lifestyle to cardiovascular health. In particular, alterations in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis, which is usually characterized by proliferation, expansion, mobilization, megakaryocyte/myeloid-biased differentiation, and/or the pro-inflammatory priming of HSCs, have been shown to be involved in the persistent overproduction of pro-inflammatory myeloid leukocytes and platelets, the cellular protagonists of cardiovascular inflammation and thrombosis, respectively. Furthermore, certain lifestyle factors, such as a healthy diet pattern and physical exercise, have been documented to exert cardiovascular protective effects through promoting quiescence, bone marrow retention, balanced differentiation, and/or the anti-inflammatory priming of HSCs. Here, we review the current understanding of and progression in research on the mechanistic interrelationships among lifestyle, HSC homeostasis, and cardiovascular health. Given that adhering to a healthy lifestyle has become a mainstream primary preventative approach to lowering the cardiovascular burden, unmasking the causal links between lifestyle and cardiovascular health from the perspective of hematopoiesis would open new opportunities to prevent and treat CVD in the present age.

Sleep deprivation boosts O2·- levels in the brains of mice as visualized by a Golgi apparatus-targeted ratiometric fluorescence nanosensor

Sleep deprivation (SD) is highly prevalent in the modern technological world. Emerging evidence shows that sleep deprivation is associated with oxidative stress. At the organelle level, the Golgi apparatus actively participates in the stress response. In this study, to determine whether SD and Golgi apparatus stress are correlated, we rationally designed and fabricated a novel Golgi apparatus-targeted ratiometric nanoprobe called Golgi dots for O2·- detection. This probe exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity in cells and brain slices of sleep-deprived mice. Golgi dots can be readily synthesized by coprecipitation of Golgi-F127, an amphiphilic polymer F127 modified with a Golgi apparatus targeting moiety, caffeic acid (CA), the responsive unit for O2·-, and red emissive carbon nanodots (CDs), which act as the reference signal. The fluorescence emission spectrum of the developed nanoprobe showed an intense peak at 674 nm, accompanied by a shoulder peak at 485 nm. As O2·- was gradually added, the fluorescence at 485 nm continuously increased; in contrast, the emission intensity at 674 nm assigned to the CDs remained constant, resulting in the ratiometric sensing of O2·-. The present ratiometric nanoprobe showed high selectivity for O2·- monitoring due to the specific recognition of O2·- by CA. Moreover, the Golgi dots exhibited good linearity with respect to the O2·- concentration within 5 to 40 μM, and the limit of detection (LOD) was ~ 0.13 μM. Additionally, the Golgi dots showed low cytotoxicity and an ability to target the Golgi apparatus. Inspired by these excellent properties, we then applied the Golgi dots to successfully monitor exogenous and endogenous O2·- levels within the Golgi apparatus. Importantly, with the help of Golgi dots, we determined that SD substantially elevated O2·- levels in the brain.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Supplementation Prevents Intestinal Barrier Injury and Gut Microflora Dysbiosis Induced by Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation (SD) leads to impaired intestinal barrier function and intestinal flora disorder, especially a reduction in the abundance of the next generation of probiotic Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii). However, it remains largely unclear whether F. prausnitzii can ameliorate SD-induced intestinal barrier damage. A 72 h SD mouse model was used in this research, with or without the addition of F. prausnitzii. The findings indicated that pre-colonization with F. prausnitzii could protect against tissue damage from SD, enhance goblet cell count and MUC2 levels in the colon, boost tight-junction protein expression, decrease macrophage infiltration, suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, and reduce apoptosis. We found that the presence of F. prausnitzii helped to balance the gut microbiota in SD mice by reducing harmful bacteria like Klebsiella and Staphylococcus, while increasing beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia. Ion chromatography analysis revealed that F. prausnitzii pretreatment increased the fecal butyrate level in SD mice. Overall, these results suggested that incorporating F. prausnitzii could help reduce gut damage caused by SD, potentially by enhancing the intestinal barrier and balancing gut microflora. This provides a foundation for utilizing probiotics to protect against intestinal illnesses.

Nuclear microRNA-mediated transcriptional control determines adult microglial homeostasis and brain function

Microglia are versatile regulators in brain development and disorders. Emerging evidence links microRNA (miRNA)-mediated regulation to microglial function; however, the exact underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we uncover the enrichment of miR-137, a neuropsychiatric-disorder-associated miRNA, in the microglial nucleus, and reveal its unexpected nuclear functions in maintaining the microglial global transcriptomic state, phagocytosis, and inflammatory response. Mechanistically, microglial Mir137 deletion increases chromatin accessibility, which contains binding motifs for the microglial master transcription factor Pu.1. Through biochemical and bioinformatics analyses, we propose that miR-137 modulates Pu.1-mediated gene expression by suppressing Pu.1 binding to chromatin. Importantly, we find that increased Pu.1 binding upregulates the target gene Jdp2 (Jun dimerization protein 2) and that knockdown of Jdp2 significantly suppresses the impaired phagocytosis and pro-inflammatory response in Mir137 knockout microglia. Collectively, our study provides evidence supporting the notion that nuclear miR-137 acts as a transcriptional modulator and that this microglia-specific function is essential for maintaining normal adult brain function.

Apigenin: a natural molecule at the intersection of sleep and aging

NAD+, a pivotal coenzyme central to metabolism, exhibits a characteristic decline with age. In mice, NAD+ levels can be elevated via treatment with apigenin, a natural flavonoid that inhibits the NAD+-consuming glycoprotein CD38. In animal models, apigenin positively impacts both sleep and longevity. For example, apigenin improves learning and memory in older mice, reduces tumor proliferation in a mouse xenograft model of triple-negative breast cancer, and induces sedative effects in mice and rats. Moreover, apigenin elongates survival in fly models of neurodegenerative disease and apigenin glycosides increase lifespan in worms. Apigenin's therapeutic potential is underscored by human clinical studies using chamomile extract, which contains apigenin as an active ingredient. Collectively, chamomile extract has been reported to alleviate anxiety, improve mood, and relieve pain. Furthermore, dietary apigenin intake positively correlates with sleep quality in a large cohort of adults. Apigenin's electron-rich flavonoid structure gives it strong bonding capacity to diverse molecular structures across receptors and enzymes. The effects of apigenin extend beyond CD38 inhibition, encompassing agonistic and antagonistic modulation of various targets, including GABA and inflammatory pathways. Cumulatively, a large body of evidence positions apigenin as a unique molecule capable of influencing both aging and sleep. Further studies are warranted to better understand apigenin's nuanced mechanisms and clinical potential.

Hematopoietic Prostaglandin D Synthase Is Increased in Mast Cells and Pericytes in Autopsy Myocardial Specimens from Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The leading cause of death for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a progressive muscle disease, is heart failure. Prostaglandin (PG) D2, a physiologically active fatty acid, is synthesized from the precursor PGH2 by hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (HPGDS). Using a DMD animal model (mdx mice), we previously found that HPGDS expression is increased not only in injured muscle but also in the heart. Moreover, HPGDS inhibitors can slow the progression of muscle injury and cardiomyopathy. However, the location of HPGDS in the heart is still unknown. Thus, this study investigated HPGDS expression in autopsy myocardial samples from DMD patients. We confirmed the presence of fibrosis, a characteristic phenotype of DMD, in the autopsy myocardial sections. Additionally, HPGDS was expressed in mast cells, pericytes, and myeloid cells of the myocardial specimens but not in the myocardium. Compared with the non-DMD group, the DMD group showed increased HPGDS expression in mast cells and pericytes. Our findings confirm the possibility of using HPGDS inhibitor therapy to suppress PGD2 production to treat skeletal muscle disorders and cardiomyopathy. It thus provides significant insights for developing therapeutic drugs for DMD.