‘TIME-SWEET-TIME’: CIRCADIAN CHARACTERIZATION OF GALECTIN-1 NULL MICE

LEANDRO P. CASIRAGHI; DIEGO O. CROCI; FRANCOISE POIRIER; GABRIEL A. RABINOVICH; DIEGO GOLOMBEK

JOURNAL OF CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS

BioMed Central

Año: 2010 vol. 8 p. 4 - 12

Recent evidence suggests a two-way interaction between the immune and circadian systems. Circadian control of immune factors, as well as the effect of immunological variables on circadian rhythms, might be key elements in both physiological and pathological responses to the environment. Among these relevant factors, galectin-1 is a member of a family of evolutionarily-conserved glycan-binding proteins with both extracellular and intracellular effects, playing important roles in immune cell processes and inflammatory responses. Many of these actions have been studied through the use of mice with a null mutation in the galectin-1 (Lgals1 gene). To further analyze the role of endogenous galectin-1 in vivo we aimed to characterize the circadian behavior of galectin-1 null mice. We analyzed wheel-running activity in light-dark conditions, constant darkness, phase responses to light pulses (LP) at circadian time 15, and reentrainment to 6 hour shifts in light-dark schedule in wild-type (WT). We found significant differences in free-running period, which was longer in mutant than in WT mice (24.02 vs 23.57 h, p