Dominant-negative CK2alpha induces potent effects on circadian rhythmicity.

ABSTRACT: Circadian clocks organize the precise timing of cellular and behavioral events. In Drosophila, circadian clocks consist of negative feedback loops in which the clock component PERIOD (PER) represses its own transcription. PER phosphorylation is a critical step in timing the onset and termination of this feedback. The protein kinase CK2 has been linked to circadian timing, but the importance of this contribution is unclear; it is not certain where and when CK2 acts to regulate circadian rhythms. To determine its temporal and spatial functions, a dominant negative mutant of the catalytic alpha subunit, CK2alpha(Tik), was targeted to circadian neurons. Behaviorally, CK2alpha(Tik) induces severe period lengthening (approximately 33 h), greater than nearly all known circadian mutant alleles, an

SUBMITTER: Smith EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2211540 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature