Cross-regulatory circuits linking inflammation, high-fat diet, and the circadian clock

Mammalian physiology resonates with the daily changes in the external environment, allowing processes such as rest-activity cycles, metabolism, and body temperature to synchronize with daily changes in the surroundings. Studies have identified the molecular underpinnings of robust oscillations in gene expression occurring over the 24-h day, but how acute or chronic perturbations modulate gene expression rhythms, physiology, and behavior is still relatively unknown. In this issue of Genes & Development, Hong and colleagues (pp. 1367-1379) studied how acute and chronic inflammation interacts with the circadian clock. They found that NF-kappa B signaling can modify chromatin states and modulate expression of genes in the core clock network as well as circadian locomotor behavior. Interestingly, a high-fat diet (HFD) fed to mice also triggers this inflammation pathway, suggesting that cross-regulatory circuits link inflammation, HFD, and the circadian clock.