Circadian rhythms studies reveal new temperature regulator and track clock protein across a day
May 15, 2009Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have made new inroads into understanding the regulatory circuitry of the biological clock that synchronizes the ebb and flow of daily activities, according to two studies published May 15.
Research on the relationship between clocks and temperature, reported in Cell, offers insight into a longstanding puzzle of temperature compensation: why the 24-hour circadian rhythm does not change with temperature when metabolism is so affected.
A related study, in Molecular Cell, tracks a clock protein in action, mapping hundreds of highly choreographed modifications and interactions to provide the first complete view of regulation across a day.
The new work adds clarity to the molecular underpinnings of circadian clocks, the finely tuned cellular timekeepers that drive most organisms. Circadian systems are biological oscillators that orchestrate activities through an elaborate network of interactive proteins and feedback loops. All clocks rely on transfer of phosphate groups, called phosphorylation, to clock proteins for setting the 24-hour cycle.
Both studies looked at phosphorylation of the frequency (FRQ) clock protein, a central feedback cog in the fungal clock system. They build on the research of team leaders, Drs. Jay Dunlap and Jennifer Loros, who have documented the workings of FRQ and most other components in the Neurospora clock.
"The Cell paper describes how the cell uses phosphorylation of a clock protein to keep the period length of the cycle close to the same across a range of temperatures. This phenomenon, called temperature compensation, is one of the few canonical properties of rhythms that still lack molecular description," said Dunlap.
"The one in Molecular Cell describes collaborative work with Dr. Scott Gerber in the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. We used mass spectrometry to follow the degree of phosphorylation of over 75 sites on the FRQ clock protein across the day. Most proteins have one or a few phosphorylations, so following these across time is a major technical achievement as well as being informative for the clock biology."
In Cell, the researchers suggest a new role for the clock-associated enzyme, casein kinase (CK)2 as a key control for temperature compensation. Pursuing two uncharacterized circadian protein mutants shown to affect compensation in an unusual way, the investigators identified different subunits of the same enzyme, CK2.
They developed new ways to manipulate the genome and showed, by controlling expression, that the level of CK2 dictates the form of compensation through the phosphorylation of the clock protein FRQ. The property is unique to CK2 and shared with none of the other similar enzymes implicated in clock function.
Coauthors in addition to Dunlap, professor of genetics and Loros, professor of biochemistry and of genetics, are Arun Mehra, Mi Shi, Christopher L. Baker, Hildur V. Colot.
The second study traced protein interactions throughout the cycles to demonstrate how phosphorylation controls circadian rhythm. Using a heavy isotope labeling method and quantitative mass spectrometry, the researchers pinpointed a near record number of modifications on FRQ and described how each appears and disappears over the day.
Moreover, their methods facilitated the identification of interacting proteins to track and correlate changes in the core circadian network. They determined the clusters and locations of known sites, and through mutational analysis identified novel functional domains to create a dynamic view of a clock protein in action.
Source: Dartmouth College
-
Novel connection found between biological clock and cancer
Jun 29, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
New research provides dynamic visualization of simplest circadian clock
Mar 13, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
A snooze button for the circadian clock
Aug 14, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
How your body clock avoids hitting the snooze button
Jan 29, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Mammals, fruit flies: same biological clock
Mar 06, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Factors affecting beet root cell membrane
1 hour ago
-
Stem cell question.
Feb 10, 2012
-
Protease cleavage
Feb 10, 2012
-
Pertubance in a model
Feb 10, 2012
-
Cancer drugs and Alzheimer's, Oh my!
Feb 09, 2012
-
Squishing cells
Feb 09, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - Biology
More news stories
Entire genome of extinct human decoded from fossil
(PhysOrg.com) -- In 2010, Svante Pääbo and his colleagues presented a draft version of the genome from a small fragment of a human finger bone discovered in Denisova Cave in southern Siberia. The ...
Feb 07, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (58) |
46
|
Why are there so few fish in the Earth's oceans?
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Stony Brook University researcher has found that, contrary to popular belief, there are not plenty of fish in the sea.
Feb 08, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (17) |
26
|
Miami battling invasion of giant African snails
No one knows how they got there. But an invasion of African giant snails has southern Florida in a panic over potential crop damage, disease and general yuckiness surrounding the slimy gastropods.
Feb 10, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
5
Deciding to go left or right: Researchers use device to determine that lower animals can navigate too
For decades, scientists have associated binary decision making opting to go left or right with higher-ranking animals, including humans. A team of Harvard researchers, however, is rewriting that ...
Feb 09, 2012 |
4 / 5 (1) |
4
|
Study shows chimps able to understand needs of others
(PhysOrg.com) -- By setting up a unique experiment, a small team of researchers has found that chimpanzees are able to understand need in other chimps, despite their general disinclination to offer aid when ...
Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon
(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
Latin America mining boom clashes with conservation
Latin America is experiencing a mining boom as prices rise fuelled by a hike in global demand, but the region is also being hit by a wave of violent protests, strikes and rallies by environmentalists.
Love a click away in Indonesia's Twitter Republic
He was a geeky kid from Yogyakarta, she a glamorous city girl in Jakarta. In a country with one of the world's most vibrant social networking scenes they fell in love on Twitter.
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
Navy to begin tests on electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher
The Office of Naval Research (ONR)'s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility ...