BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in diabetes and is driven in part by osteogenic reprogramming of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Diabetes is also associated with circadian rhythm disruption; however, how circadian regulators contribute to vascular calcification remains poorly understood. We investigated the role of the core circadian protein Bmal1 (basic helix-loop-helix ARNT-like protein 1) in diabetes-associated vascular ...