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Are Circadian Rhythms the Code of Hypothalamic-Immune Communication? Insights from Natural Killer Cells

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Abstract

Circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior are ultimately regulated at the hypothalamic level by the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). This central oscillator transduces photic information to the cellular clocks in the periphery through the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system. The fact that these two systems have been shown to modulate leukocyte physiology supports the concept that the circadian component is an important aspect of hypothalamic-immune communication. Circadian disruption has been linked to immune dysregulation, and recent reports suggest that several circadian clock genes, in addition to their time-keeping role, are involved in the immune response. In this overview, we summarize the findings demonstrating that Natural Killer (NK) cell function is under circadian control.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIH grant AA08757 to DKS.

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  1. Alvaro Arjona

    Present address: Section of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA

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  1. Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 84 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Alvaro Arjona & Dipak K. Sarkar

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  1. Alvaro Arjona
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  2. Dipak K. Sarkar
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Correspondence to Dipak K. Sarkar.

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Special issue article in honor of George Fink.

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Arjona, A., Sarkar, D.K. Are Circadian Rhythms the Code of Hypothalamic-Immune Communication? Insights from Natural Killer Cells. Neurochem Res 33, 708–718 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9501-z

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