title: Cryptochromes and circadian photoreception in animals.
abstract: Cryptochromes are flavin- and folate-containing blue-light photoreceptors with a high degree of similarity to DNA photolyase, which repairs ultraviolet-induced DNA damage using blue light to initiate the repair reaction. Cryptochromes play essential roles in the maintenance of circadian rhythms in mice and Drosophila, and genetic data indicate that cryptochromes function as circadian photoreceptors in these and other animals. However, the photochemical reactions carried out by cryptochromes are not known at present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Partch
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sancar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D056931:Cryptochromes; D004255:Deoxyribodipyrimidine Photo-Lyase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D005420:Flavoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D056931:Cryptochromes; D005136:Eye Proteins; D005420:Flavoproteins; D056950:Period Circadian Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C498846:per2 protein, zebrafish; C032418:5,11-methenyltetrahydrohomofolate; D005492:Folic Acid; D004255:Deoxyribodipyrimidine Photo-Lyase