Is an intrinsic circadian clock of the pancreas required for normal insulin release and glucose homeostasis in mice?
The mouse pancreas has an autonomous clock function and beta cells are very likely to be one of the pancreatic cell types possessing an intrinsic clock. The Bmal1 circadian clock gene is required in the pancreas, probably in beta cells, for normal insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis. Our results provide evidence for a previously unrecognised molecular regulator of pancreatic glucose-sensing and/or insulin secretion.
Our study therefore establishes a link between immune selection, overexpression of HIF-1α, and cancer immune adaptation under normoxia, providing new opportunities for molecular intervention in patients with cancer.