生物钟与衰老的相关研究进展

The Interactions between the Circadian Clock and Aging

众所周知,从单细胞生物到人,几乎所有生物体在生理和行为上都表现出昼夜节律。内源性生物钟是产生昼夜节律的物质基础,由母钟和子钟组成,母钟位于下丘脑视交叉上核(SCN),子钟位于各个外周组织(肝脏、心脏等)。随着机体的逐渐衰老,反应生物钟输出信号的生理昼夜节律在振荡幅度、振荡周期和表达时相等方面发生了相应的变化。另一方面,生物钟控制的生理昼夜节律影响衰老的进程,生物钟功能紊乱会严重加速机体的衰老。本文概述了衰老与生物钟之间的相关研究进展,为进一步认识衰老机制及其对机体的影响提供了线索。

It is well known that almost all organisms ranging from single cell creatures to human beings exhibit circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior under the control of the internal circadian clock. The internal circadian clock is composed of a master clock which is localized in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the peripheral clocks located in peripheral tissues such as the liver and heart. Along with aging, the circadian rhythm alters in many aspects, including the amplitude, free-running period and the expression phase. On the other hand, the circadian clock also influences the process of aging. The disorganized circadian rhythm accelerates the aging process. This article briefly reviews the recent progress in the interactions between the circadian clock and aging, and provides evidence to further understand the mechanism of aging and the impact of aging on the organisms .