title: Altered patterns of sleep and behavioral adaptability in NPAS2-deficient mice.
abstract: Animal behavior is synchronized to the 24-hour light:dark (LD) cycle by regulatory programs that produce circadian fluctuations in gene expression throughout the body. In mammals, the transcription factor CLOCK controls circadian oscillation in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain; its paralog, neuronal PAS domain protein 2 (NPAS2), performs a similar function in other forebrain sites. To investigate the role of NPAS2 in behavioral manifestations of circadian rhythm, we studied locomotor activity, sleep patterns, and adaptability to both light- and restricted food-driven entrainment in NPAS2-deficient mice. Our results indicate that NPAS2 plays a substantive role in maintaining circadian behaviors in normal LD and feeding conditions and that NPAS2 is critical for adaptability to food restriction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9152, USA.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dudley
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erbel-Sieler
authors.forename: Sandi Jo
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Estill
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reick
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franken
authors.forename: SiNae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pitts
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: McKnight
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003624:Darkness; D004435:Eating; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D018390:Gene Targeting; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D056926:CLOCK Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C491259:Npas2 protein, mouse; C538944:Clock protein, mouse