Association study of a variable-number tandem repeat polymorphism in the clock gene PERIOD3 and chronotype in Norwegian university students.

Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated cycles involving physiological parameters, such as core body temperature, hormone levels, blood pressure, sleep, and metabolism, with a period length of around 24?h. The circadian clock in mammals is regulated by a set of clock genes that are functionally linked together, and polymorphisms in clock genes could be associated with differences in circadian rhythms. A variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) in the human clock gene PERIOD3 (PER3) has been suggested to correlate with a morning (lark) versus evening (owl) chronotype as well as with the circadian rhythm sleep disorder ?delayed sleep phase disorder? (DSPD).

Lithium differentially affects clock gene expression in serum-shocked NIH-3T3 cells.

Bipolar disorder has been associated with disturbances in circadian rhythms. Lithium is frequently used in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, and has been shown to prolong such rhythms in animals and humans. To examine whether lithium affects the expression of genes regulating the circadian clock, cultured NIH-3T3 cells were synchronized by serum-shocking, and the relative expression of the clock genes Period1 (Per1), Period2 (Per2), Period3 (Per3), Cryptochrome1 (Cry1), Cryptochrome2 (Cry2), Brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator-like 1 (Bmal1), Circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (Clock), Rev-Erb-α (Nr1d1), RAR-related orphan receptor α (Ror-α), Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (Gsk-3β), Casein kinase 1-ε (CK1-ε; Csnk1ε), E4 binding protein 4 (E4BP4; Nfil-3) and albumin D-binding protein (Dbp) was examined for three consecutive days in the presence of lithium (20 mM) or vehicle (20 mM NaCl).