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Clock Gene Expression in the Submandibular Glands

¹ Department of Dental and Medical Biochemistry, and
² Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan; and
³ Department of Physiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan;

^* corresponding author, ykato{at}hiroshima-u.ac.jp

Clock genes, which mediate molecular circadian rhythms, are expressed in a circadian fashion in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and in various peripheral tissues. To establish a molecular basis for circadian regulation in the salivary glands, we examined expression profiles of clock-related genes and salivary gland-characteristic genes. Clock-related genes—including Per1, Per2, Cry1, Bmal1, Dec1, Dec2, Dbp, and Reverb—showed robust circadian expression rhythms in the submandibular glands in 12:12-hour light-dark conditions. In addition, a robust circadian rhythm was observed in amylase 1 mRNA levels, whereas the expression of other salivary-gland-characteristic genes examined was not rhythmic. The Clock mutation resulted in increased or decreased mRNA levels of Per2, Bmal1, Dec1, Dec2, and Dbp, and in Cry1–/– background, Cry2 disruption also increased or decreased mRNA levels of these clock-related genes and the amylase 1 gene. These findings indicate that the Clock- and Cry-dependent molecular clock system is active in the salivary glands.

KEY WORDS: circadian rhythm • salivary gland • clock • amylase • Dec