Journal Article Ahead of print
PubMed: 40844144 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2025.2546006
Association between dim light melatonin onset predicted from gene expression profiles with sleep time and chronotype preference: A pilot study.
Chronobiol Int
Authors: Susan Kohl Malone, Freda Patterson, Jinyu Hu, Chitvan Goyal, Namni Goel, Victoria Vaughan Dickson, Gail D'Eramo Melkus, Brad Aouizerat
Affiliations
- Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, USA.
- College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.
- College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, USA.
Abstract
Chronotherapeutic approaches that optimize the timing of therapy to enhance efficacy and minimize side effects are becoming mainstream. The widespread adoption of chronotherapeutic approaches is hindered by the lack of accessible, valid tools to determine circadian time. Building on evidence that gene expression profiles predict circadian time, this pilot study assessed associations between circadian phase predictions from a single blood sample, actigraphy-estimated sleep, and chronotype in a real-world setting. Twelve adults (mean age 51 y, 8 women) reporting short sleep (<7 h/night) and at risk for metabolic syndrome participated. CD14+ monocytes were isolated from 20 ml blood samples, pelleted, and stored at -80°C before RNA sequencing. Sleep was monitored over two weeks using the ActiGraph GT9X-BT, and chronotype preference was assessed with the Composite Scale of Morningness. Spearman's correlations analyzed correlations between predicted dim light melatonin onset (DLMO), sleep, and chronotype preference. Moderate-to-strong association was found between gene expression-based DLMO predictions and sleep, supporting the utility of peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression profiles for estimating circadian phase. This approach shows promise for improving chronotherapy implementation in middle-aged adults with chronic health conditions and short sleep. This study was part of a larger study that was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03596983.
MeSH
Pilot Projects, Genes, Pilots, Blood, Melatonin, Circadian Rhythm, Sleep, Therapeutics, Biological Clocks, Gene Expression