Cryptochrome restores dampened circadian rhythms and promotes healthspan in aging Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Circadian clocks generate daily rhythms in molecular, cellular, and physiological functions providing temporal dimension to organismal homeostasis. Recent evidence suggests two-way relationship between circadian clocks and aging. While disruption of the circadian clock leads to premature aging in animals, there is also age-related dampening of output rhythms such as sleep/wake cycles and hormonal fluctuations. Decay in the oscillations of several clock genes was recently reported in aged fruit flies, but mechanisms underlying these age-related changes are not understood. We report that the circadian light-sensitive protein CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) is significantly reduced at both mRNA and protein levels in heads of old Drosophila melanogaster. Restoration of CRY using the binary GAL4/UAS system

SUBMITTER: Rakshit K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3772985 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature