冬と夏に炎症が起こりやすい

季節によって炎症は変動する

多くの病気や生理学的プロセスは年ごとの周期性を示しますが、季節変動が人間の組織の機能や健康に寄与する要素と見なされることはめったにありません。 ここでは、ヨーロッパとオセアニア間で反転パターンが観察され、白血球および脂肪組織中の4,000を超えるタンパク質をコードするmRNAが季節的な発現プロファイルを持つことがわかります。 また、血液の細胞組成は季節によって異なることがわかり、これらの変化は英国とガンビアで異なり、遺伝子発現の周期性を説明できます。 組織機能に関して、免疫系は、欧州の冬の間に、炎症性トランスクリプトームプロファイルが上昇し、可溶性IL-6受容体およびC反応性タンパク質のレベルが増加します。

1〜2月と夏の終りの炎症が増加するパターンになりますが、その発現プロファイルは異なります。赤道直下を含む低緯度帯では炎症に変動がありません。

Nat Commun. 2015 May 12;6:7000. doi: 10.1038/ncomms8000.

Widespread seasonal gene expression reveals annual differences in human immunity and physiology.

Dopico XC1, Evangelou M1, Ferreira RC1, Guo H1, Pekalski ML1, Smyth DJ1, Cooper N1, Burren OS1, Fulford AJ2, Hennig BJ2, Prentice AM2, Ziegler AG3, Bonifacio E4, Wallace C1,5, Todd JA1.

JDRF/Wellcome Trust Diabetes and Inflammation Laboratory, Department of Medical Genetics, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK.

MRC International Nutrition Group at MRC Unit The Gambia &London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

Institute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Forschergruppe Diabetes, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, D 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.

CRTD-DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse, 01307 Dresden, Germany.

MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge Institute of Public Health, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0SR, UK.

Abstract

Seasonal variations are rarely considered a contributing component to human tissue function or health, although many diseases and physiological process display annual periodicities. Here we find more than 4,000 protein-coding mRNAs in white blood cells and adipose tissue to have seasonal expression profiles, with inverted patterns observed between Europe and Oceania. We also find the cellular composition of blood to vary by season, and these changes, which differ between the United Kingdom and The Gambia, could explain the gene expression periodicity. With regards to tissue function, the immune system has a profound pro-inflammatory transcriptomic profile during European winter, with increased levels of soluble IL-6 receptor and C-reactive protein, risk biomarkers for cardiovascular, psychiatric and autoimmune diseases that have peak incidences in winter. Circannual rhythms thus require further exploration as contributors to various aspects of human physiology and disease.