CO₂ and the Circadian Clock: Linking Gas Sensing and Lipid Metabolism

Like oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO₂) release follows a daily rhythm that is regulated by the circadian clock (Adamovich et al., Cell Metabolism 2019). While oxygen impacts circadian timing primarily via the sensor HIF1α (Adamovich et al., Cell Metabolism 2017), how CO₂ signals to the clock has remained unclear.

Despite the central role of gas exchange in physiology, the cellular mechanisms for CO₂ sensing are much less understood than those for oxygen. Our recent findings reveal that CO₂ actively regulates lipid metabolism by modulating SREBP2, a master transcription factor controlling cholesterol homeostasis (Bolshette et al., PLOS Biology 2023).

This discovery establishes a novel link between CO₂ signaling, circadian control, and metabolic regulation, opening new directions for investigating how rhythmic gas exchange influences metabolic health.