Non-human primate seasonal transcriptome atlas reveals seasonal changes in physiology and diseases

Abstract

The metabolic, immune, and endocrine systems show profound seasonal changes in animals, including humans. In addition, morbidity from cardiovascular and psychiatric diseases is more severe and mortality rate is higher in winter. However, their molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here we report the seasonal transcriptome of 80 tissues collected over 1 year from male and female rhesus macaques kept in a semi-natural outdoor environment. We find seasonal changes in plasma metabolites and hormones. Transcriptome analysis identifies sex differences in seasonally oscillating genes (SOGs) in all tissues studied, and we generate the web database ‘Non-Human Primate Seasonal Transcriptome Atlas (NHPSTA).’ Transcriptional regulatory network analysis, siRNA knockdown, and mutant mouse analyses reveal regulation of SOGs by GA-binding protein (GABP). We also demonstrate seasonal oscillations in the expression of disease risk factor genes and drug interacting genes. NHPSTA provides a molecular resource for seasonally regulated physiology and targets for therapeutic interventions for seasonally regulated diseases.