Anti-Müllerian hormone signalling sustains circadian homeostasis in zebrafish
Circadian clocks temporally orchestrate the behavioural and physiological rhythms. The core molecules establishing the circadian clock are clear; however, the critical signalling pathways that cause or favour the homeostasis are poorly understood. Here, we report that anti-Müllerian hormone (Amh)-mediated signalling plays an important role in sustaining circadian homeostasis in zebrafish. Notably, amh knockout dampens molecular clock oscillations and disrupts both behavioural and hormonal circadian rhythms, which are recapitulated in bmpr2a null mutants. Somatotropes and gonadotropes are identified as Amh-targeted pituitary cell populations. Single-cell transcriptome analysis further reveals a lineage-specific regulation of pituitary clock by Amh. Moreover, Amh-induced effect on clock gene expression can be abolished by blocking Smad1/5/9 phosphorylation and bmpr2a knockout. Mechanistically, Amh binds to its receptors, Bmpr2a/Bmpr1bb, which in turn activate Smad1/5/9 by phosphorylation and promote circadian gene expression. Our findings reveal a key hormone signalling pathway for circadian homeostasis in zebrafish with implications for rhythmic organ functions and circadian health.
Authors
- Ming Duan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0837-2450)
- Jian‐Fang Gui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4969-1482)
- Rui Xiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9477-1054)
- Xi‐Yin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6639-0481)
- Qiaohong Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7591-5032)
- Jie Mei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4947-3573)
- Xian Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3538-9517)
- Si Ge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2337-4644)
- Gaorui Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4676-9179)
- Weiwei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7328-0969)
- Zhi Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9268-6497)
- Ying Liu
- Fan Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8384-7789)
- Guang-Zhong Wang
- Li Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3511-3449)
Institutions
- Huazhong Agricultural University (CN)
- Wuhan University (CN)
- Institute of Hydrobiology (CN)
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health (CN)
- Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-05-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59528-1
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.74
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province
- KU Leuven
- Wuhan University
- Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
- Institute of Hydrobiology
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities