A role for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the expression of circadian genes

The active form of vitamin D, 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃, has been associated with metabolism control, cell growth, differentiation, antiproliferation, apoptosis, and adaptive/innate immune responses, besides its functions in the integrity of bone and calcium homeostasis. The circadian rhythm regulates a variety of biological processes, many of them related to the functions associated with 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃. In the present study, we determine whether 1α,25-(OH)2D3 alters the expression of circadian genes in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). The effect of 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃ on the expression of circadian genes BMAL1 and PER2 was measured by qPCR, over a 60-h period every 4 h, in serum shocked ADSCs, serum shocked ADSCs supplemented with 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃, and ADSCs under the presence of only 1α,25-(OH)2D3. The results showed that 1α,25-(OH)2D3 was able to synchronize circadian clock gene expression in ADSCs. The expression of circadian genes BMAL1 and PER2 in ADSCs that contained only 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃ has a profile similar to that found in the ADSCs synchronized by a serum shock. The results suggest an important role of 1α,25-(OH)₂D₃ in the regulation of the molecular clock.