Identification of glucocorticoid-dependent circadian genes in the cochlea

The cochlea possesses a robust circadian clock machinery that regulates auditory function. How the cochlear clock is influenced by the circadian system remains unknown. Here we show that cochlear rhythms are system-driven and require local Bmal1 as well as central input from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). SCN ablations disrupted the circadian expression of the core clock genes in the cochlea. Since the circadian secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs) is controlled by the SCN and that GCs are known to modulate auditory function, we assessed their influence on circadian gene expression. Removal of circulating GCs by adrenalectomy (ADX) did not have a major impact on core clock gene expression in the cochlea. Rather it abolished the transcription of clock-controlled genes involved in inflammation. ADX abolished the known differential auditory sensitivity to day and night noise trauma and prevented the induction of GABA-ergic and glutamate receptors mRNA transcripts. However, these improvements were unrelated to changes at the synaptic level suggesting other cochlear functions may be involved. Due to this circadian regulation of noise sensitivity by GCs, we evaluated the actions of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (DEX) at different times of the day. DEX was effective in protecting from acute noise trauma only when administered during daytime, when circulating glucocorticoids are low, indicating that chronopharmacological approaches are important for obtaining optimal treatment strategies for hearing loss. GCs appear as a major regulator of the differential sensitivity to day or night noise trauma, a mechanism likely involving the circadian control of inflammatory responses. Overall design: Cochlear samples from sham operated or adrenalectomized (ADX) CBA/Sca mice were collected every 4th hour during a 24h period and subjected to RNAseq (n=3 per time point, corresponding to a total of 36 samples).

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Cederroth CR, Park JS, Basinou V, Weger BD, Tserga E, Sarlus H, Magnusson AK, Kadri N, Gachon F, Canlon B