Two complementary research articles, published simultaneously in the journals Science and Cell Stem Cell by a team of scientists from IRB Barcelona, based in the Barcelona Science Park, and UPF reveal that central and peripheral circadian clocks coordinate to regulate the daily activity of skin and muscles. This synchronisation  prevents premature muscle ageing and improves muscle function, suggesting new strategies to tackle age-related decline through circadian rhythm modulation.

Discovered in the 1970s, circadian clocks are essential for the regulation of biological time in most cells in the human body. These internal mechanisms adjust biological processes to a 24-hour cycle, allowing the synchronisation of cellular functions with daily variations in the environment. Circadian rhythms, which are coordinated by a central clock in the brain that communicates with clocks in different peripheral tissues, influence many functions, from our sleep patterns to our ability to metabolise food.

A team led by Dr. Salvador Aznar Benitah, an ICREA researcher at IRB Barcelona, and Dr. Pura Muñoz-Cánoves, an ICREA researcher in the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), has described how the synchronisation between the central clock and peripheral clocks in muscle and skin plays a key role in ensuring the correct function of these tissues, as well as preventing degenerative processes associated with ageing.

The results of this work have been published in two articles in high-impact journals. In this regard, the research on the synchronisation between the central and peripheral clocks appears in Science, while the work on the coordination between the central clock and skin peripheral clock has been released in Cell Stem Cell. Both studies reveal the common mechanisms that underscore the importance of this coordination to uphold the optimal functionality of muscle and skin.

The work also describes the remarkable degree of autonomy of the peripheral clocks, which can maintain 24-h cycles and manage approximately 15% of circadian functions in the absence of the central clock.

“It is fascinating to see how synchronisation between the brain and peripheral circadian clocks plays a critical role in skin and muscle health, while peripheral clocks alone are autonomous in carrying out the most basic tissue functions,” says Dr. Aznar Benitah, head of the Stem Cell and Cancer laboratory at IRB Barcelona.

“Our study reveals that minimal interaction between only two tissue clocks (one central and the other peripheral) is needed to maintain optimal functioning of tissues like muscles and skin and to avoid their deterioration and ageing. Now, the next step is to identify the signalling factors involved in this interaction, with potential therapeutic applications in mind,” explains Dr. Muñoz-Cánoves, a UPF professor who is now a principal investigator at Altos Labs (San Diego, US).

» For furhter information: IRB Barcelona website [+]