PER protein interactions and temperature compensation of a circadian clock in Drosophila.
The periods of circadian clocks are relatively temperature-insensitive. Indeed, the perL mutation in the Drosophila melanogaster period gene, a central component of the clock, affects temperature compensation as well as period length. The per protein (PER) contains a dimerization domain (PAS) within which the perL mutation is located. Amino acid substitutions at the perL position rendered PER dimerization temperature-sensitive. In addition, another region of PER interacted with PAS, and the perL mutation enhanced this putative intramolecular interaction, which may compete with PAS-PAS intermolecular interactions. Therefore, temperature compensation of circadian period in Drosophila may be due in part to temperature-independent PER activity, which is based on competition between inter- and intramolecular interactions with similar temperature coefficients.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Department of Biology, Waltham, MA 02254.
Z J
ZJ
Huang
K D
KD
Curtin
M
M
Rosbash
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D017354:Point Mutation; D013696:Temperature
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins