Heme binding to the Mammalian circadian clock protein period 2 is nonspecific.

ABSTRACT: The mammalian circadian clock synchronizes physical and metabolic activity with the diurnal cycle through a transcriptional-posttranslational feedback loop. An additional feedback mechanism regulating clock timing has been proposed to involve oscillation in heme availability. Period 2 (PER2), an integral component in the negative feedback loop that establishes circadian rhythms in mammals, has been identified as a heme-binding protein. However, the majority of evidence for heme binding is based upon in vitro heme-binding assays. We sought to ascertain if these largely spectral assays could distinguish between specific and nonspecific heme interactions. Heme-binding properties by a number of other well-characterized proteins, all with no known biological role involving heme interaction, cor

SUBMITTER: Airola MV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2873066 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature