title: The circadian coordination of cell biology.
abstract: Circadian clocks are cell-autonomous timing mechanisms that organize cell functions in a 24-h periodicity. In mammals, the main circadian oscillator consists of transcription-translation feedback loops composed of transcriptional regulators, enzymes, and scaffolds that generate and sustain daily oscillations of their own transcript and protein levels. The clock components and their targets impart rhythmic functions to many gene products through transcriptional, posttranscriptional, translational, and posttranslational mechanisms. This, in turn, temporally coordinates many signaling pathways, metabolic activity, organelles' structure and functions, as well as the cell cycle and the tissue-specific functions of differentiated cells. When the functions of these circadian oscillators are disrupted by age, environment, or genetic mutation, the temporal coordination of cellular functions is lost, reducing organismal health and fitness.
authors.affiliation: Regulatory Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037 achaix@salk.edu satchin@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7007-197X
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaix
authors.affiliation: Regulatory Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037 Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarrinpar
authors.affiliation: Regulatory Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037 achaix@salk.edu satchin@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Satchidananda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003585:Cell Biology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D057906:Circadian Clocks / Q000235:genetics; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism