<Back toContents

Timely Surprises

 New studies identify proteins that may help the human internal biological clock detect light.

References:

Allada, R. . . . J.C. Hall, and M. Rosbash. 1998. A mutant Drosophila homolog of mammalian Clock disrupts circadian rhythms and transcription of period and timeless. Cell 93(May 29).

Campbell, S.S., and P.J. Murphy. 1998. Extraocular circadian phototransduction in humans. Science 279(Jan. 16):396.

Darlington, T.K. . . . S.A. Kay. 1998. Closing the circadian loop: CLOCK-induced transcription of its own inhibitors per and tim. Science 280(June 5):1599. (http://www.sciencemag.org)

Dunlap, J. 1998. An end in the beginning. Science 280(June 5):1548.

Gekakis, N. . . . C.J. Weitz. 1998. Role of the CLOCK protein in the mammalian circadian mechanism. Science 280(June 5):1564. (http://www.sciencemag.org)

Hogenesch, J.B. . . . C.A. Bradfield. 1998. The basic-helix-loop-helix-PAS orphan MOP3 forms transcriptionally active complexes with circadian and hypoxia factors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(May 12). (http://www.pnas.org)

Kloss, B . . . . M.W. Young. 1998. The Drosophila clock gene double-time encodes a protein closely related to human casein kinase I. Cell 94(July 10):97.

Miyamoto, Y., and A. Sancar. 1998. Vitamin B₂-based blue-light photoreceptors in the retinohypothalamic tract as the photoactive pigments for setting the circadian clock in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 95(May 26).

Oren, D.A., M. Terman. 1998. Tweaking the human circadian clock with light. Science 279(Jan. 16):333.

Price, J.L. . . . M.W. Young. 1998. Double-time is a novel Drosophila clock gene that regulates PERIOD protein accumulation. Cell 94(July 10):83.

Rutila, J.E. . . . M. Rosbash, and J.C. Hall. 1998. CYCLE is a second bHLH-PAS clock protein essential for circadian rhythmicity and transcription of Drosophila period and timeless. Cell 93(May 29).

Further Readings:

Travis, J. 1997. Biological clocks fly into view. Science News 152(Dec. 6):365.

______. 1997. Found: Mouse circadian rhythm gene. Science News 151(May 17):300.

Scott S. Campbell
Cornell University Medical College
Department of Psychiatry
Laboratory of Human Chronobiology
21 Bloomingdale Road
White Plains, NY 10805

Jay C. Dunlap
Dartmouth Medical School
Department of Biochemistry
Hanover, NH 03755

Michael Menaker
University of Virginia
Department of Biology
Room 288, Gilmer Hall
Charlottesville, VA 22903

Patricia J. Murphy
Cornell University Medical College
Department of Psychiatry
Laboratory of Human Chronobiology
21 Bloomingdale Road
White Plains, NY 10805

Michael Rosbash
Brandeis University
Howard Hughes medical Institute
NSF, Center for Biological Timing
Waltham, MA 02254

Aziz Sancar
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7260

Joseph S. Takahashi
Northwestern University
Department of Neurobiology and Physiology
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing
Evanston, IL 60208

Thomas Wehr
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Mental Health
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 7-99
Rockville, MD 20857

Charles J. Weitz
Harvard Medical School
Department of Neurobiology
Warren Alpert Building, Room 320
200 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Michael W. Young
Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021

Back to Table of Contents - 7/11/98