The tissue-specific pattern of mRNA expression can indicate important clues about gene function. High-density oligonucleotide arrays offer the opportunity to examine patterns of gene expression on a genome scale. Toward this end, we have designed custom arrays that interrogate the expression of the vast majority of protein-encoding human and mouse genes and have used them to profile a panel of 79 human and 61 mouse tissues. The resulting data set provides the expression patterns for thousands of predicted genes, as well as known and poorly characterized genes, from mice and humans. We have explored this data set for global trends in gene expression, evaluated commonly used lines of evidence in gene prediction methodologies, and investigated patterns indicative of chromosomal organization of transcription. We describe hundreds of regions of correlated transcription and show that some are subject to both tissue and parental allele-specific expression, suggesting a link between spatial expression and imprinting.

To characterize the role of the circadian clock in mouse physiology and behavior, we used RNA-seq and DNA arrays to quantify the transcriptomes of 12 mouse organs over time. We found 43% of all protein coding genes showed circadian rhythms in transcription somewhere in the body, largely in an organ-specific manner. In most organs, we noticed the expression of many oscillating genes peaked during transcriptional "rush hours" preceding dawn and dusk. Looking at the genomic landscape of rhythmic genes, we saw that they clustered together, were longer, and had more spliceforms than nonoscillating genes. Systems-level analysis revealed intricate rhythmic orchestration of gene pathways throughout the body. We also found oscillations in the expression of more than 1,000 known and novel noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Supporting their potential role in mediating clock function, ncRNAs conserved between mouse and human showed rhythmic expression in similar proportions as protein coding genes. Importantly, we also found that the majority of best-selling drugs and World Health Organization essential medicines directly target the products of rhythmic genes. Many of these drugs have short half-lives and may benefit from timed dosage. In sum, this study highlights critical, systemic, and surprising roles of the mammalian circadian clock and provides a blueprint for advancement in chronotherapy.circadian | genomics | gene networks | noncoding RNA | chronotherapy C ircadian rhythms are endogenous 24-h oscillations in behavior and biological processes found in all kingdoms of life. This internal clock allows an organism to adapt its physiology in anticipation of transitions between night and day. The circadian clock drives oscillations in a diverse set of biological processes, including sleep, locomotor activity, blood pressure, body temperature, and blood hormone levels (1, 2). Disruption of normal circadian rhythms leads to clinically relevant disorders including neurodegeneration and metabolic disorders (3, 4). In mammals, the molecular basis for these physiological rhythms arises from the interactions between two transcriptional/translational feedback loops (reviewed in ref. 5). Many members of the core clock regulate the expression of other transcripts. These clock-controlled genes mediate the molecular clock's effect on downstream rhythms in physiology.In an effort to map these connections between the core clock and the diverse biological processes it regulates, researchers have devoted significant time and effort to studying transcriptional rhythms (6-10). Although extremely informative, most circadian studies of this nature have analyzed one or two organs by using microarrays, and little work has been done to analyze either clock control at the organism level or regulation of the noncoding transcriptome. To address these gaps in our knowledge, we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and DNA arrays to profile the transcriptomes of 12 different mouse organs: adrenal gland, aorta, brainstem, brown fat, cerebellum, heart, hypothalamus, ki...

In mammals, circadian control of physiology and behavior is driven by a master pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus. We have used gene expression profiling to identify cycling transcripts in the SCN and in the liver. Our analysis revealed approximately 650 cycling transcripts and showed that the majority of these were specific to either the SCN or the liver. Genetic and genomic analysis suggests that a relatively small number of output genes are directly regulated by core oscillator components. Major processes regulated by the SCN and liver were found to be under circadian regulation. Importantly, rate-limiting steps in these various pathways were key sites of circadian control, highlighting the fundamental role that circadian clocks play in cellular and organismal physiology.

Like most organisms, plants have endogenous biological clocks that coordinate internal events with the external environment. We used high-density oligonucleotide microarrays to examine gene expression in Arabidopsis and found that 6% of the more than 8000 genes on the array exhibited circadian changes in steady-state messenger RNA levels. Clusters of circadian-regulated genes were found in pathways involved in plant responses to light and other key metabolic pathways. Computational analysis of cycling genes allowed the identification of a highly conserved promoter motif that we found to be required for circadian control of gene expression. Our study presents a comprehensive view of the temporal compartmentalization of physiological pathways by the circadian clock in a eukaryote.