p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Is a Clock Gene That Regulates Oscillatory Components of Circadian and Metabolic Networks

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily with a widespread pattern of expression in tissues such as the brain, liver, lung, and muscle. The mechanisms that regulate p75NTR transcription in the nervous system and its expression in other tissues remain largely unknown. Here we show that p75NTR is an oscillating gene regulated by the helix-loop-helix transcription factors CLOCK and BMAL1. The p75NTR promoter contains evolutionarily conserved noncanonical E-box enhancers. Deletion mutagenesis of the p75NTR-luciferase reporter identified the −1039 conserved E-box necessary for the regulation of p75NTR by CLOCK and BMAL1. Accordingly, gel-shift assays confirmed the binding of CLOCK and BMAL1 to the p75NTR−1039 E-box. Studies in mice revealed that p75NTR transcription oscillates during dark and light cycles not only in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), but also in peripheral tissues including the liver. Oscillation of p75NTR is disrupted in Clock-deficient and mutant mice, is E-box dependent, and is in phase with clock genes, such as Per1 and Per2. Intriguingly, p75NTR is required for circadian clock oscillation, since loss of p75NTR alters the circadian oscillation of clock genes in the SCN, liver, and fibroblasts. Consistent with this, Per2::Luc/p75NTR−/− liver explants showed reduced circadian oscillation amplitude compared with those of Per2::Luc/p75NTR+/+. Moreover, deletion of p75NTR also alters the circadian oscillation of glucose and lipid homeostasis genes. Overall, our findings reveal that the transcriptional activation of p75NTR is under circadian regulation in the nervous system and peripheral tissues, and plays an important role in the maintenance of clock and metabolic gene oscillation.