RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The circadian clock and asthma
JF Thorax
JO Thorax
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
SP 90
OP 92
DO 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-203482
VO 69
IS 1
A1 Hannah J Durrington
A1 Stuart N Farrow
A1 Andrew S Loudon
A1 David W Ray
YR 2014
UL http://thorax.bmj.com/content/69/1/90.abstract
AB It is characteristic of asthma that symptoms worsen overnight, particularly in the early hours of the morning. Nocturnal symptoms in asthma are common and are an important indicator for escalation of treatment. An extensive body of research has demonstrated that nocturnal symptoms of cough and dyspnea are accompanied by circadian variations in airway inflammation and physiologic variables, including airflow limitation and airways hyper-responsiveness. The molecular apparatus that underpins circadian variations, controlled by so called ‘clock’ genes, has recently been characterised. Clock genes control circadian rhythms both centrally, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain and peripherally, within every organ of the body. Here, we will discuss how clock genes regulate circadian rhythms. We will focus particularly on the peripheral lung clock and the peripheral immune clock and discuss how these might relate to both the pathogenesis and treatment of asthma.