The clock gene BMAL1 inhibits macrophage motility, phagocytosis, and impairs defence against pneumonia

The circadian clock regulates many aspects of immunity. Bacterial infections are affected by time of day, but the mechanisms involved remain undefined. Here we show that loss of the core clock protein BMAL1 in macrophages confers protection against pneumococcal pneumonia. RNAseq was performed on peritoneal macrophages from wild type and BMAL1 knock out mice.

昼夜节律时钟（circadian clock）调控免疫系统诸多方面。细菌感染的发生会受到一日中时段的影响，但相关的具体调控机制仍未阐明。本研究证实，巨噬细胞内核心节律蛋白BMAL1的缺失可使宿主获得对抗肺炎链球菌肺炎的保护作用。本研究对野生型及BMAL1基因敲除小鼠的腹腔巨噬细胞进行了RNA测序（RNAseq）分析。