Prolonged Sleep Deprivation Induces a Reprogramming of Circadian Rhythmicity with the Hepatic Metabolic Transcriptomic Profile.

Simple Summary: Sleep deprivation disrupts the natural sleep-wake cycle and can affect various physiological processes, including liver function and metabolism. In this study, we examined how five days of sleep deprivation in male mice altered their liver function and daily rhythms. We found that sleep deprivation led to changes in the mice's sleep patterns and feeding behavior within the initial two days following sleep deprivation. Additionally, there was a noticeable decrease in 24-h serum glucose levels. Transcriptome analysis of the liver revealed significant alterations in the rhythmic expression of genes related to carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism pathways. These findings indicate that prolonged sleep deprivation resets metabolic gene expression in the liver, potentially acting to support sustained wakefulness by ensuring adequate energy supply. Sleep disturbances can disrupt the overall circadian rhythm. However, the impact of sleep deprivation on the circadian rhythm of the liver and its underlying mechanisms still requires further exploration. In this study, we subjected male mice to 5 days of sleep deprivation and performed liver transcriptome sequencing analysis at various time points within a 24-h period. Subsequently, we monitored the autonomic activity and food intake in these male mice for six days post-sleep deprivation. We observed alterations in sleep-wake and feeding rhythms in the first two days following sleep deprivation. Additionally, we also observed a decrease in 24-h serum-glucose levels. Liver transcriptome sequencing has shown that sleep deprivation induces the rhythmic transcription of a large number of genes, or alters the rhythmic properties of genes, which were then significantly enriched in the carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism pathways. Our findings suggest that under conditions of prolonged sleep deprivation, the expression of metabolic-related genes in the liver was reset, leading to changes in the organism's metabolic state to ensure energy supply to sustain prolonged wakefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]