A study led by Akhilesh Reddy (Clinical Biochemistry / Clinical Neurosciences) has demonstrated the influence of a core metabolic pathway, present in all cells, on the 24 hour clock.

The research, published in Cell Metabolism showed that the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, which is important for maintaining the correct redox environment within cells, controlled key aspects of circadian clock function.

Dr Guillaume Rey first author, said “this pathway is important for regulating metabolic activity in all cells, including cancer cells, and we showed that perturbing its function directly influenced the clockwork through a redox-sensitive transcription factor called NRF2”.

This fundamental link between metabolism and the clock is a recent and emerging theme in the field. Indeed, the team showed that fruit flies, as well as mouse tissues, were affected very similarly when their metabolism was altered, demonstrating that metabolism and the clock are likely closely linked in many diverse organisms.