Dynamics of the Drosophila circadian clock: theoretical anti-jitter network and controlled chaos.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Electronic clocks exhibit undesirable jitter or time variations in periodic signals. The circadian clocks of humans, some animals, and plants consist of oscillating molecular networks with peak-to-peak time of approximately 24 hours. Clockwork orange (CWO) is a transcriptional repressor of Drosophila direct target genes.

Methodology/principal findings

Theory and data from a model of the Drosophila circadian clock support the idea that CWO controls anti-jitter negative circuits that stabilize peak-to-peak time in light-dark cycles (LD). The orbit is confined to chaotic attractors in both LD and dark cycles and is almost periodic in LD; furthermore, CWO diminishes the Euclidean dimension of the chaotic attractor in LD. Light resets the clock each day by restricting

SUBMITTER: Fathallah-Shaykh HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2954144 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature