Skip to main content

MINI REVIEW article

Front. Physiol.
Sec. Integrative Physiology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1497836
This article is part of the Research Topic Biological Rhythms in the Brain and Gastrointestinal Tract View all 3 articles

Basic research and opportunities for translational advancement in the field of mammalian ~12-hour ultradian chronobiology

Provisionally accepted
Bokai Zhu Bokai Zhu *William Dion William Dion
  • University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Repetitive variations, such as oscillation, are ubiquitous in biology. In this mini review, we present a general summary of the ~24-hour circadian clock and provide a fundamental overview of another biological timekeeper that maintains ~12-hour oscillations. This ~12-hour oscillator is proposed to function independently of the circadian clock to regulate ultradian biological rhythms relevant to both protein homeostasis and liver health. Recent studies exploring these ~12-hour rhythms in humans are discussed, followed by our proposal that mammary gland physiology represents a promising area for further research. We conclude by highlighting potential translational applications in ~12-hour ultradian chronobiology.

    Keywords: Circadian Rhythm, Ultradian rhythm, proteostasis, NAFLD/MAFLD, Nuclear speckles, XBP1s. unfolded protein response

    Received: 17 Sep 2024; Accepted: 28 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhu and Dion. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bokai Zhu, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.