Circadian rhythm in prostate cancer - time to take notice of the clock

Sep 24, 2026

Circadian rhythm acts as an evolutionary molecular system that improves adaptation to environmental changes. Disruption of circadian timing contributes critically to tumorigenesis across multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. By integrating circadian mechanisms into prostate cancer research, the review clarifies underlying processes and supports more precise therapeutic options. It outlines circadian clock patterns, links disruption to epidemiological and molecular findings, and discusses emerging clock-targeted treatment approaches.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

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Introduction

Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of the Circadian Clock

Asian Journal of Andrology (2023) 25, 184–191 [www.asiaandro.com](www.asiaandro.com); [www.ajandrology.com](www.ajandrology.com) Open Access Prostate Cancer INVITED REVIEW Circadian rhythm in prostate cancer: time to take notice of the clock Wei-Zhen Zhu *, Qi-Ying He *, De-Chao Feng, Qiang Wei, Lu Yang The circadian clock is an evolutionary molecular product that is associated with better adaptation to changes in the external environment. Disruption of the circadian rhythm plays a critical role in tumorigenesis of many kinds of cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa) . Integrating circadian rhythm into PCa research not only brings a closer understanding of the mechanisms of PCa but also provides new and effective options for the precise treatment of patients with PCa. This review begins with patterns of the circadian clock, highlights the role of the disruption of circadian rhythms in PCa at the epidemiological and molecular levels, and discusses possible new approaches to PCa therapy that target the circadian clock. Asian Journal of Andrology (2023) 25 , 184–191; doi: 10.4103/aja202255; published online: 06 September 2022 Keywords: chronotherapy; circadian clock; circadian rhythm; prostate cancer INTRODUCTION As early as the 18th century, Mairan, a French scientist found that light did not affect the 24-h fluctuation of mimosa leaf activity, revealing the existing potential endogenous rhythms of organisms. Circadian rhythm can help reconcile a large amount of behaviors, physiological processes, and functions in the human body with circadian changes, such as the sleep–wake cycle, feeding, and other autonomic activities, as well as essential physiological activities, such as the maintenance of proper blood pressure, heart rate, basal body temperature, hormone levels, and the normal operation of cell metabolism, cell proliferation, and immune regulation.1–3 Therefore, unsurprisingly, circadian disruption is associated with poor health status and many diseases, such as aging,4 inflammation status,5 degenerative changes in the central nervous system,6 cardiovascular diseases,7 metabolic diseases,8 and cancers,9 including prostate cancer (PCa) .10 Generally, the generation, maintenance, and regulation of circadian rhythm physiologically depend on central and peripheral clock systems as well as the coordination of rhythm input and output systems. The central clock generated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) plays a leading role in circadian rhythm regulation, cooperating with environmental signals and output systems, such as the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system.11,12 As the secondary pacemaker of the circadian rhythm, on the one hand, peripheral clocks are controlled by various signal factors of neurohumoral regulatory systems under the central clock directly or indirectly. On the other hand, they can operate independently of the control of SCN. At the cellular level, the circadian rhythm is a 24-h oscillation consisting of a series of transcriptional and translational regulatory feedback loops. Posttranslational modifications and degradation of clock genes and clock control genes are also involved in maintaining the stabilization of homeostasis, behaviors, and other basic life activities in the human body related to better adaptation to changes in the external environment.4,13–15 MOLECULAR REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF THE CIRCADIAN CLOCK As mentioned above, the generation and maintenance of circadian rhythm are controlled by clock genes and clock control genes. A study has shown that approximately 10% of genes in cells are rhythmically expressed.16 Circadian genes exert their effects mainly through the transcriptional translational oscillator (TTO), the main part of the classical circadian clock regulation network. TTO primarily consists of two interconnected negative feedback loops. Circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK) and its chaperone neuronal per-arntsim (PAS) domain-c

FAQs

How does circadian rhythm influence prostate cancer research and treatment?

Integrating circadian rhythm into prostate cancer research improves understanding of prostate cancer mechanisms and may enable more effective, precise treatment options.

What role does circadian rhythm disruption play in prostate cancer?

Circadian disruption is described as playing a critical role in the tumorigenesis of cancers, including prostate cancer, with impacts discussed at epidemiological and molecular levels.

Which core molecular feedback loops make up the classical circadian clock?

The classical circadian clock regulation network is centered on the transcriptional translational oscillator, driven by interconnected negative feedback loops involving CLOCK/BMAL1 and PER/CRY, plus an auxiliary loop involving nuclear receptors such as Rev-erbα and RORs.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Olivia Brown