Phase shifting of the circadian clock by induction of the Drosophila period protein.
Virtually all organisms manifest circadian (24-hour) rhythms, governed by an ill-defined endogenous pacemaker or clock. Several lines of evidence suggest that the Drosophila melanogaster period gene product PER is a clock component. If PER were central to the time-keeping mechanism, a transient increase in its concentration would cause a stable shift in the phase of the clock. Therefore, transgenic flies bearing a heat-inducible copy of PER were subjected to temperature pulses. This treatment caused long-lasting phase shifts in the locomotor activity circadian rhythm, a result that supports the contention that PER is a bona fide clock component.
Edery
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254.
Rutila
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JE
Rosbash
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D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017344:Genes, Insect; D009043:Motor Activity; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D013696:Temperature
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C539040:PER protein, Drosophila; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins