Differential effects of light and heat on the Drosophila circadian clock proteins PER and TIM.

ABSTRACT: Circadian (approximately 24-h) rhythms are governed by endogenous biochemical oscillators (clocks) that in a wide variety of organisms can be phase shifted (i.e., delayed or advanced) by brief exposure to light and changes in temperature. However, how changes in temperature reset circadian timekeeping mechanisms is not known. To begin to address this issue, we measured the effects of short-duration heat pulses on the protein and mRNA products from the Drosophila circadian clock genes period (per) and timeless (tim). Heat pulses at all times in a daily cycle elicited dramatic and rapid decreases in the levels of PER and TIM proteins. PER is sensitive to heat but not light, indicating that individual clock components can markedly differ in sensitivity to environmental stimuli. A similar rese

SUBMITTER: Sidote D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC121430 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature