Gut Microbes Influence Circadian Clock | The Scientist Magazine®

The mammalian gut microbiome is involved in controlling the circadian
rhythm of its host, according to a mouse study published today (April
16) in Cell Host & Microbe. In both mice and humans, timing of feeding and diet type can impact the bacterial populations of the gut. Now, Eugene Chang
of the University of Chicago Medical Center and his colleagues have
found that mouse gut microbiota produce metabolites in diurnal patterns,
and these can influence the expression of circadian clock genes in the
liver.
The results provide additional support for the idea that the gut microbiome is dynamic, said Satchidananda Panda
of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies who was not involved in
the work. “At night, we go to bed with a bunch of bugs in our stomachs
and wake up in the morning with a different set of bugs,” said Panda.
“The implications are pretty big because there are more bacterial cells
in our guts than the number of cells in our body and these species
produce different enzymes and factors that have a big impact on our
overall metabolism.”