Search Results (185)

Sleep and dietary behavior are deeply conserved biological processes that co-evolved under ecological pressures shaping human anatomy, metabolism, immunity, cognition, and life history strategies. Major transitions in human dietary ecology, including plant-dominant hominin foraging, increased meat consumption, control of fire and cooking, agricultural domestication, industrialization, and postindustrial globalization, restructured nutrient intake, pathogen exposure, microbial ecology, metabolic demands, and temporal organization of behavior. Emerging evidence from evolutionary genomics, chronobiology, neuroendocrinology, and microbiome science indicates that sleep–feeding interactions represent a conserved adaptive regulatory module optimized for fluctuating energy availability and strong photoperiodic entrainment. Modern environments characterized by widespread availability of highly palatable, energy-dense foods rich in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and multiple industrial additives, together with artificial light at night, continuous caloric access, sedentary behavior, and psychosocial stress produce a profound evolutionary mismatch destabilizing circadian–metabolic homeostasis. This mismatch is characterized by circadian disruption, temporal misalignment of feeding and sleep behaviors, and, in many populations, insufficient sleep duration. Within this conceptual landscape, the emerging framework of “evolutionary chrononutrition” proposes that metabolic health and sleep integrity depend not only on what humans eat, but critically on when food is consumed in relation to endogenous circadian architecture shaped across deep evolutionary time. This review synthesizes anthropological, physiological, and molecular evidence to develop an integrative evolutionary framework linking sleep and diet to contemporary cardiometabolic, neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and psychiatric disorders, with particular emphasis on how each major dietary transition plausibly altered sleep duration, architecture, circadian timing, neuroendocrine regulation, and the temporal alignment between feeding behavior and biological rhythms. Full article

We report a cross-station replication of endogenous circadian rhythms in plant bioelectric voltage, recorded continuously for 42 days at three independent sensor stations within a public science exhibition (Phänomena, Dietikon, Switzerland; March–April 2026). Three primrose (Primula vulgaris) stations were equipped with custom Biolingo bioelectric sensors (ESP32 + AD8232) and recorded autonomously through approximately 21,000 visitor interactions. We extracted DC-invariant spectral features from 5–10 s voltage windows (n = 78,431 quality-filtered files) and fitted two-stage cosinor models with bootstrap 95% confidence intervals. All three stations show a robust 24 h rhythm in the 1–5 Hz band power (bp_1–5), with peak-to-trough amplitudes between 0.35× and 1.19× of mesor (R²_med 0.72–0.87). Acrophase varies across stations from 05:00 to 11:00 local time. Critically, the rhythm survives an overnight-only restriction (18:00–09:00, no visitors) at all three stations, ruling out visitor presence as the rhythm driver. The most visitor-intensive station (faces of museum visitors triggering an emotion-recognition installation) additionally shows a sharp daytime amplitude collapse coincident with the exhibition opening at 09:00, during the hours of sustained visitor presence. This temporal coincidence is consistent with—though not by itself proof of—the cardiovascular-mechanosensory coupling characterized at single-subject resolution in a companion study. We argue that bp_1–5—the spectral band most directly related to plant action-potential activity—carries an endogenous circadian signal in Primula vulgaris and that this station-level signal co-varies with sustained nearby human presence in a manner consistent with frequency-selective mechanosensory coupling, although the observational design cannot establish this mechanism. From a biomimetic perspective, this suggests that the plant’s evolved bioelectric sensing apparatus might be leveraged as a live ambient biosensor for nearby human activity, complementing the more common biomimetic approach of replicating plant sensing in synthetic devices. Full article

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by persistent exposure to uremic toxins (UTs), many of which originate from gut microbial metabolism and contribute to renal, cardiovascular, and metabolic complications. Current evidence indicates that CKD is associated with dysbiosis and the enrichment of microbial taxa carrying genes involved in UT precursor production. Diet is a major modulator of the gut microbiota and therefore represents a promising lever to reduce UT generation in synergy with current nephroprotective therapies. Beyond simple protein restriction, more specific dietary approaches, particularly plant-based low-protein diets, appear especially relevant. Additional factors, including amino acid composition, lipid quality, food processing, constipation, transit time, meal timing, and circadian rhythms, may also influence microbial metabolism and UT production. This review examines the role of nutrition in shaping the gut microbiota–UT–kidney axis and discusses how dietary modulation may support precision nutrition in the context of CKD. It also highlights future directions based on multidimensional phenotyping and robust biomarkers to capture interindividual variability, guide personalized interventions, and ultimately improve renal and cardiovascular outcomes in CKD. Full article

Background: The CONSTANS, CONSTANS-like, and TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 (CCT) domain proteins are key regulators of flowering time and circadian rhythms in annual plants, but their diversity and temporal expression patterns in perennial trees remain poorly understood. Methods: Here, we performed a genome-wide characterization of CCT family genes and analyzed their seasonal and circadian expression dynamics in Populus. Using an HMM-based search, we identified 49 putative CCT genes (PtCCTs) in the Populus genome and classified them into five subfamilies (COL, CMF, PRR, ALSM and ZIM) based on domain composition and phylogeny. Results: Synteny and duplication analyses showed that most PtCCTs arose from segmental duplication and have predominantly evolved under purifying selection. Promoter analyses revealed a rich repertoire of cis-regulatory elements, with a marked enrichment of light- and hormone-responsive motifs, particularly G-box and ABRE elements, in PtPRR and a subset of PtCOL promoters. Transcriptome data indicated that many PtCCTs display distinct tissue-specific expression patterns, with PtPRRs and PtZIMs being strongly enriched in dormant buds. Seasonal transcriptomes from leaves and shoot apices revealed discrete expression profiles associated with growth, bud set, and winter dormancy, and most PtPRRs showed increasing transcript levels from September to December. Diurnal time-series data further identified 19 PtCCTs with significant rhythmic expression, separating COL and PRR members into night- and day-phased groups. Network analysis using STRING indicated that PtPRRs interact with photoperiodic pathway components such as PtGI, and re-analysis of diurnal data from wild-type and lhy-RNAi hybrid aspen showed that several PtPRRs exhibit phase and amplitude changes when LHY expression is reduced. Conclusions: Together, these results provide a comprehensive overview of the CCT gene family in Populus and highlight PtPRRs and specific PtCOLs as promising candidates that link the circadian clock and light signaling to seasonal growth cessation and bud dormancy in perennial trees. Full article

Flooding, as a major abiotic stress, significantly impacts the growth and survival of poplar plantations in the floodplains of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying flooding responses in poplar is crucial for enhancing plantation productivity. In this study, two important eastern cottonwood cultivars, Populus deltoides ‘Jianghan 1’ (HBI) and P. deltoides Bartr. CL (CL), were investigated. By integrating long-term growth surveys and transcriptome sequencing, we analyzed their phenotypic traits and molecular responses to flooding stress. After 7 years of seasonal flooding, HBI exhibited a survival rate of 73.91%, along with superior height (23.1 m) and diameter at breast height (DBH, 26.3 cm), compared with CL, indicating HBI as a flooding-tolerant cultivar. Transcriptome analysis identified 1098 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the leaves of flooded HBI and CL, which were mainly enriched in stress signal perception, oxidative stress regulation, energy metabolism and circadian rhythm. Cultivar-specific DEG analysis revealed that CL mainly activated pathways related to oxidative stress and damage repair pathways, whereas HBI-specific genes were significantly enriched in hormone signal transduction, growth regulation, flavonoid synthesis and photosynthesis. Based on this distinct enrichment pattern in the tolerant cultivar HBI, we propose that it possesses adaptive advantages under flooding stress. Specifically, HBI likely coordinates multiple physiological processes by activating ethylene and other hormone-related genes, thereby regulating hypoxia adaptation, reoxygenation-induced oxidative stress, photosynthetic recovery, and flavonoid-mediated antioxidant defense. This coordinated regulation collectively sustains growth vigor and enhances survival under seasonal inundation. Our findings demonstrate clear transcriptomic divergence underlying flooding tolerance among poplar cultivars, laying a theoretical foundation for the selection of flooding-tolerant varieties and the sustainable development of forestry in flood-prone regions. Furthermore, these results broaden the current knowledge of flooding stress biology in woody plants. Full article

Background: Amidst evolving modern lifestyles characterized by widespread circadian rhythm disturbances and high-fat dietary habits, the incidence of metabolic disorders continues to escalate. In recent years, plant-derived bioactive compounds have attracted considerable interest as therapeutic candidates, with quercetin and its derivatives demonstrating promising potential for the regulation of metabolism. Methods: This study employed a dual-induction model of metabolic dysregulation, elicited through both circadian rhythm disruption and a high-fat diet, to systematically evaluate the regulatory effects of quercetin and its derivatives on mice through dual stimulation by circadian rhythm disruption and a high-fat diet. Results and Conclusions: Non-targeted fecal metabolomics analysis indicates that quercetin and its derivatives significantly alter the intestinal metabolite profile in mice, alleviating metabolic abnormalities induced by circadian rhythm disruption and high-fat diet. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the future development of quercetin-based functional food products. Full article

Mowing is a widely used agricultural management practice, yet its role in shaping plant–insect interactions remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated how mowing influences resistance of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci by integrating behavioral assays with volatile analysis, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. Feeding preference assays showed that adult whiteflies strongly preferred new plants over mowed plants. Developmental assays further revealed that whiteflies exhibited a prolonged egg stage and extended egg-to-adult developmental duration on mowed plants, while adult longevity was not significantly affected. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis identified 31 volatile compounds in licorice, with alcohols dominating the volatile profile of new plants and terpenoids dominating that of mowed plants. Whitefly infestation significantly increased ester compounds in both plant types. Differential volatile analysis highlighted cis-3-hexen-1-ol and trans-3-hexen-1-ol as dominant compounds in new plants, whereas 3-carene and β-pinene were predominant in mowed plants. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that mowing primarily affected genes associated with primary metabolism and ribosome-related pathways, whereas whitefly infestation induced extensive transcriptional reprogramming, including activation of flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, MAPK signaling, and plant circadian rhythm pathways. Metabolomic profiling identified substantial accumulation of flavonoids, flavonols, and isoflavonoids following whitefly feeding. Integrated multi-omics analysis identified flavonol biosynthesis as a core pathway underlying licorice defense against B. tabaci. Overall, this study demonstrates that mowing primes G. uralensis for enhanced resistance to whitefly infestation by reshaping volatile emissions, activating secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and inducing coordinated defense signaling networks. These findings provide new insights into plant–insect interactions and highlight mowing as a potential component of sustainable pest management strategies. Full article

Plants defend against pathogens such as fungi by initiating coordinated structural and chemical responses. Pathogen perception triggers rapid cytosolic calcium influx and calcium oscillations that drive defense gene expression, yet the mechanisms by which these signals encode stressor intensity and propagate systematically remain unclear. Here, we present a microfluidic system to characterize intracellular calcium dynamics in protonemal colonies of the moss Physcomitrium patens (Hedw.) upon precise and reversible exposure to fungal chitin oligosaccharides. Epifluorescent imaging of cells expressing the calcium indicator GCaMP6f revealed a rapid, coordinated calcium response to chitin addition, followed by stereotyped oscillations that subsided quickly upon stimulus removal. We implemented an unbiased image segmentation algorithm using pixel-based k-means clustering to automatically locate regions with specific oscillatory signatures. Calcium dynamics were distinct across adjacent cells, distinguishable by cell type, and significantly modulated by circadian rhythm, adaptation time within the device, and stimulus timing. Cytosolic calcium oscillations, which rose and fell symmetrically within about 60 s, occurred spontaneously during the subjective night and following short adaptation periods. Chitin elicited strong oscillations with increased frequency, amplitude, and duration, and repeated pulses entrained regular, colony-wide oscillations at the stimulation interval. This study complements prior investigations of whole plant and growth tip dynamics and provides a quantitative framework to study calcium signaling in plants, including mechanisms of signal propagation and the role of oscillation frequency on gene expression. Full article

Early flowering is a key element of the rice speed-breeding protocol that enables improved genetic gain and accelerates the cultivation of new varieties. Although far-red light (FR) is commonly used to modulate plant developmental processes, the mechanisms by which it influences flowering and growth in rice are poorly understood. In this study, the control treatment (CK) consisted of red-blue-green composite light at 300 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹, while two additional treatments were applied: one with the photon flux density (PFD) increased to 350 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ (HI—high intensity) under the same light spectrum as CK, and the other supplemented with 50 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ of FR based on CK. The results demonstrated that both elevated PFD and supplemental FR significantly enhanced vegetative growth, as evidenced by increased plant height, tiller number, leaf area, and biomass accumulation, along with improved photosynthetic capacity and chlorophyll fluorescence. Under the FR treatment, flowering occurred 53 days after transplanting, which was 12 days and 9 days earlier than in the CK and HI treatments, respectively. Physiological profiling revealed that FR enrichment significantly increased leaf soluble sugar and starch levels, while simultaneously decreasing chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations. FR also reshaped the endogenous hormonal profile, which was marked by elevated levels of gibberellin (GA3) and abscisic acid (ABA), and reduced auxin (IAA) content. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that FR enrichment activated the circadian rhythm pathway and upregulated genes associated with photoperiodic flowering and inflorescence development. In summary, FR promotes rice growth and early flowering through the integrated regulation of leaf area expansion, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, hormonal rebalancing, and activation of flowering gene expression. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for optimizing light environments and improving the economic viability of crop speed breeding systems in controlled environmental facilities. Full article

Background: The Camellia genus is widely recognized for its remarkable diversity in floral morphology and coloration, with Camellia petelotii (Merr.) Sealy being particularly notable for its rare golden-yellow flowers, which possess exceptional ornamental value. Despite its horticultural significance, the molecular mechanisms governing its flowering process remain poorly elucidated, presenting a substantial barrier to effective conservation and breeding initiatives. Methods: To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis, focusing on three distinct developmental stages of C. petelotii floral organs: the alabastrum stage (S1), the half-opened flower stage (S2), and the full bloom stage (S3). These samples were subjected to high-throughput sequencing using the Illumina platform. Following rigorous quality control and alignment with the reference genome, we performed transcript assembly and integrated comprehensive gene annotation data with quantitative gene expression profiles. Results: Our analysis identified 18,732 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showing significant expression changes across developmental stages. Notably, we identified 134 DEGs as potential flowering-related genes, which were functionally associated with key pathways involved in floral regulation, including plant hormone signal transduction (e.g., AUX/IAA, ARF, SAUR, GH3, JAR4, GID1 and SOC1), starch (SS, SUS, BAM) and sucrose metabolism (HK, FrK, and GH32), circadian rhythm regulation (e.g., PIF3, ELF3, LHY, and PRR), and the Autonomous pathway. Building upon these findings, we have proposed a comprehensive model illustrating the regulatory network underlying flowering transition in C. petelotii. The reliability of the transcriptomic data was demonstrated through the validation of 11 genes using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Conclusions: These insights not only enhance our understanding of the molecular basis of flowering in this species but also provide a valuable theoretical framework for future genetic improvement and breeding programs of C. petelotii. Full article

The simplest definition of light pollution (LP) is the presence of artificial light at night (ALAN) at inappropriate times, intensity, and inappropriate amounts and colors. All these parameters of anthropogenic light clearly indicate that the presence of ALAN can disrupt the proper functioning of not only humans but all organisms on Earth that have evolved in conditions of alternating day and night, closing within a 24 h day. Cities are the primary source of LP, and the ever-increasing global urbanization makes LP one of the fastest-growing threats to our civilization. It is particularly dangerous because public awareness of its existence is exceptionally weak, as the presence of light is usually perceived as a good thing, generating safety and beauty, and it is difficult for people to understand that excess of light may turn against us. However, LP dysregulates the well-known circadian rhythms of humans and animals and disrupts normal plant physiology. Furthermore, in a light-polluted world, plant–pollinator relationships are also endangered, which can lead to disruptions in food chains. In this review, we will present various aspects of excessive lighting and propose solutions to mitigate the increasing LP, considering the threats it poses to all living organisms. Full article

Climate change is intensifying the simultaneous occurrence of biotic and abiotic stresses in fruit crops, but yet the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses remain poorly understood. The physiological and transcriptomic responses of two sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars, Santina and Bing, grafted onto Gisela 12, were investigated under single and combined stresses imposed by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and water deficit. Although biomass, gas exchange, and hormone accumulation showed only minor changes, combined stress triggered distinct cultivar-dependent transcriptional reprogramming. The cultivar Bing exhibited a pronounced response with 4261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), characterized by strong repression of photosynthetic processes and activation of defense- and hormone-related pathways. In contrast, the cultivar Santina showed a moderate response with 674 DEGs, primarily reinforcing structural and secondary metabolism. Cultivar-specific modulation of abscisic acid sensitivity was associated with the contrasting regulation of WRKY40 and Sin3-like repressors, despite comparable ABA levels. Strikingly, both cultivars upregulated the GIGANTEA gene, underscoring its role as a central regulatory hub linking circadian rhythm, stomatal function, and hormonal crosstalk under dual stress. Collectively, these results reveal non-additive, genotype-specific transcriptional strategies in sweet cherry trees, providing insights into stress integration in fruit trees and identifying regulatory genes that may inform breeding and management strategies for resilience under climate change. Full article

Abiotic stress of cold is one of the limitation factors that hinder the production of alfalfa (Medicago sativa). Although there are a large number of studies suggesting that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play an important role in plant response to abiotic stress, the mechanism by which ncRNAs and competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) influence the low-temperature tolerance of alfalfa remains understudied. In this study, we integrated whole-transcriptome RNA-seq and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to identify cold stress-related metabolic pathways and candidate genes, differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Degradome sequencing was used to verify the ceRNA network under cold stress. A total of 46,936 DEmRNAs were identified. Ribosome (ko03010), amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism (ko00520), ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes (ko03008), circadian rhythm–plant (ko00270), and starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500) were the top five KEGG terms with the highest p-value, enriching the most number of DEmRNAs. MS.gene53818 (MsUAM1) was considered to be the critical candidate gene for alfalfa response to cold stress by conjoint analysis of GWASs and DEmRNAs. A total of 223 DEmiRNAs, 1852 DElncRNAs, and 13 DEcircRNAs were identified under cold stress. Functional analysis indicates that they play important roles in GO terms such as leaf development (GO:0048366), DNA-binding transcription factor activity (GO:0003700), central vacuole (GO:0042807), response to auxin (GO:0009733), and water channel activity (GO:0015250), as well as in KEGG pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis (ko00944). A ceRNA network comprising 28 DElncRNAs, 8 DEcircRNAs, 11 DEmiRNAs, and 23 DEmRNA triplets was constructed. In this study, mRNAs and ncRNAs were identified that may be involved in alfalfa’s response to cold stress, and a ceRNA regulatory network related to cold stress was established, providing valuable genic resources for further research on the molecular mechanisms underlying alfalfa cold stress. Full article

Feeding time is a critical but understudied factor influencing nutrient dynamics and overall productivity in aquaponic systems. This study examined the effects of two feeding schedules on growth performance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), hydrochemical parameters, and the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivated in an integrated aquaponic system. Two 60-day trials were conducted over consecutive years under identical greenhouse conditions. Carp were fed either in the morning and early afternoon (T1: 08:00, 11:00, 14:00) or later in the day (T2: 11:00, 14:00, 17:00). Hydrochemical indicators, including dissolved oxygen, turbidity, ammonium ions (NH₄⁺), and nitrates (NO₃⁻), were continuously monitored through online measurement. Carp reared under T2 displayed significantly higher specific growth rate, final body mass, and improved feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05). The T2 variant also showed higher dissolved oxygen levels and lower turbidity compared to T1, indicating enhanced system stability. Although NH₄⁺ concentrations were higher and NO₃⁻ levels lower in T2, these differences did not compromise water quality due to efficient plant nutrient uptake. Lettuce grown under T2 exhibited greater stem and root development and higher biomass accumulation, suggesting improved nitrogen utilization linked to the NH₄⁺/NO₃⁻ ratio and enhanced root oxygenation. Overall, aligning feeding time with fish circadian rhythms improved fish performance, plant growth, and nutrient cycling efficiency. These findings demonstrate that feeding schedule is a key management factor capable of enhancing sustainability and productivity in aquaponic systems. Full article

Salt stress causes harm to plants through multiple aspects, such as osmotic pressure, ion poisoning, nutrient imbalance, and oxidative damage. Zinc finger proteins harboring two B-box domains, known as double B-box (DBB) proteins, constitute the DBB family. While DBB genes have been implicated in regulating circadian rhythms and stress responses in various plant species, their functions in cotton remain largely unexplored. The present study characterized the DBB gene family across the genomes of Gossypium hirsutum L., Gossypium raimondii L., and Gossypium arboreum L., revealing a complement of 58 members. These DBB genes were assigned to three separate clades based on phylogenetic analysis. Members possessing close phylogenetic relationships have similar conserved protein motifs and gene structures. All DBB proteins were predicted to be nuclear-localized, consistent with their roles as transcription factors. Furthermore, the presence of multiple cis-acting elements related to light, hormone, and stress responses in the promoters implies that GhDBBs are integral to cotton’s environmental stress adaptation. Expression pattern analysis indicated that the expression of GhDBB genes was associated with the plant’s response to multiple abiotic stresses, such as salt, drought, heat (37 °C), and cold (4 °C). The reliability of the expression data was confirmed by qPCR analysis of eight selected GhDBBs. Under 200 mM NaCl, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing GhDBB22 displayed longer roots and healthier true leaves than the wild-type controls. Conversely, VIGS-mediated silencing of GhDBB22 in G. hirsutum led to significantly reduced salt tolerance, accompanied by exacerbated oxidative damage. Taken together, the findings from our integrated genomic and functional analyses provide a foundational understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which proteins encoded by DBB genes are involved in the plant’s response to salt stress. Full article