一份報告說，人類睡眠和覺醒的周期可能被記錄在了一些被拔下來的頭發(fā)的根部附著的細胞中。Makoto Akashi及其同事把4位受試者的睡眠與覺醒的模式與從受試者的頭皮或胡須上拔下的細胞中的基因表達水平進行了比較，從而測試人類毛囊細胞中的生物鐘基因表達是否反映了一個人的晝夜節(jié)律。這組科學家觀察到受試者覺醒期間基因表達達到了峰值,，而且那些晝夜節(jié)律基因表達階段出現(xiàn)最早的受試者也在早晨醒來得最早。
實地測試表明倒班工人的晝夜節(jié)律滯后于他們的生活方式大約5小時,，這提示倒班工人可能在一種長期的“時差感”狀態(tài)下工作,。這組作者說，盡管晝夜節(jié)律生物鐘基因早在10多年前就被發(fā)現(xiàn)了,，科學家此前尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)一種簡單而準確的探測人類生物鐘基因表達的方法,。這組作者提出，非侵害性的人類毛囊活檢可能有助于科學家研究和治療睡眠障礙以及與晝夜節(jié)律生物鐘機能障礙有關(guān)的其他疾病的患者,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
PNAS doi: 10.1073/pnas.1003878107
Noninvasive method for assessing the human circadian clock using hair follicle cells
Makoto Akashi a , 1 , Haruhiko Soma b , Takuro Yamamoto b , Asuka Tsugitomi c , Shiko Yamashita b , Takuya Yamamoto d , Eisuke Nishida d , Akio Yasuda b , James K. Liao e , and Koichi Node c
aResearch Institute for Time Studies, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 753-8511, Japan;
bLife Science Laboratory, Advanced Materials Laboratories, Sony Corporation, 5-1-12 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0001, Japan;
cDepartment of Cardiovascular and Renal Medicine, Saga University Faculty of Medicine, Saga 849-8501, Japan;
dDepartment of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan; and
eVascular Medicine Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02139
A thorough understanding of the circadian clock requires qualitative evaluation of circadian clock gene expression. Thus far, no simple and effective method for detecting human clock gene expression has become available. This limitation has greatly hampered our understanding of human circadian rhythm. Here we report a convenient, reliable, and less invasive method for detecting human clock gene expression using biopsy samples of hair follicle cells from the head or chin. We show that the circadian phase of clock gene expression in hair follicle cells accurately reflects that of individual behavioral rhythms, demonstrating that this strategy is appropriate for evaluating the human peripheral circadian clock. Furthermore, using this method, we indicate that rotating shift workers suffer from a serious time lag between circadian gene expression rhythms and lifestyle. Qualitative evaluation of clock gene expression in hair follicle cells, therefore, may be an effective approach for studying the human circadian clock in the clinical setting.
