Intestinal microbial circadian rhythms drive sex differences in host immunity and metabolism

Circadian rhythms dynamically regulate sex differences in metabolism and immunity, and circadian disruption increases the risk of metabolic disorders. We investigated the role of sex-specific intestinal microbial circadian rhythms in host metabolism using germ-free and conventionalized mice and manipulation of dietary-derived fat, fiber, and microbiota-accessible carbohydrates. Our findings demonstrate that sex differences in circadian rhythms of genes involved in immunity and metabolism depend on oscillations in microbiota, microbial metabolic functions, and microbial metabolites. Further, we show that consuming an obesogenic, high-fat, low-fiber diet produced sex-specific changes in circadian rhythms in microbiota, metabolites, and host gene expression, which were linked to sex differences in the severity of metabolic dysfunction. Our results reveal that microbial circadian rhythms contribute to sex differences in immunity and metabolism and that dietary factors can entrain new circadian rhythms and modify the magnitude of sex differences in host-microbe circadian dynamics.

Automated summary

This study investigates the role of sex-specific intestinal microbial circadian rhythms in host metabolism and reveals that the sex differences in these rhythms depend on oscillations in microbiota, microbial metabolic functions, and microbial metabolites. Moreover, the dietary intake can also affect these rhythms and subsequently influence the severity of sex differences.