# Circadian regulation of physiological functions

> **NIH NIH R35** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2021 · $399,971

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Circadian regulation refers to daily, 24-hour oscillations in biological functions and is a universal, evolutionarily
conserved feature from bacteria to humans. Proper circadian regulation is important for human health, as chronic
disruption of circadian regulation due to jetlag or night shift work is associated with multiple defects in
metabolism, innate immunity, and sleep. These defects include susceptibility to infection, inflammation, obesity,
and diabetes. Many diseases also cause loss of circadian regulation, including bacterial infection and many
neurological diseases, such as autism and Parkinson’s disease. Despite the profound effects of circadian
regulation on human health and physiology, it remains unclear how loss of circadian regulation contributes to
the progression of these diseases. That is, a major gap in the field is the identification of specific circadian-
regulated pathways that contribute to the pathogenesis of different diseases.
 My lab uses genetically tractable model organisms (fruit flies and mice) to investigate how disruption of
circadian-regulated functions and behaviors contribute to the pathogenesis of bacterial infection and neurological
disease models. This proposal focuses on investigating: 1) the role of metabolism in survival of bacterial
infection; 2) the role of phagocytic innate immune cells in neurological defects associated with models of Fragile
X syndrome, a human disease that causes both circadian dysregulation and autism; and 3) the role of sleep in
defense against oxidative stress and the Drosophila model of Parkinson’s disease, which causes circadian
dysregulation and sleep loss. These studies of circadian-regulated processes in the context of diseases that
lead to circadian dysregulation will help to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these
diseases and identify new potential therapeutic targets

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10141257
- **Project number:** 5R35GM127049-04
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Michele M Shirasu-Hiza
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $399,971
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10141257

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10141257, Circadian regulation of physiological functions (5R35GM127049-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10141257. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*