Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. Rust
Summary: The study on circadian clock suggests that it can function even in non-growing cells using minimal components from cyanobacteria. The findings indicate the potential evolution of the circadian clock to adapt to different cellular conditions.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rajesh Narasimamurthy, David M. Virshup
Summary: In our modern society, the consequences of disrupting our circadian rhythms by skipping or delaying sleep are severe, leading to various disorders. The internal clock is regulated by the reversible phosphorylation of PERIOD proteins, controlled by isoforms of casein kinase 1 (CK1). Through biochemical, genetic, and structural studies, a better understanding of how the core clock is regulated has been achieved, opening new approaches for clock regulation.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Jeffrey R. Allen, Lucia C. Strader
Summary: This study identifies two RNA-binding proteins that regulate heat stress tolerance in plants.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2022)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Maria A. Nohales
Summary: The plant circadian clock plays a crucial role in integrating environmental signals and coordinating endogenous rhythms. Recent studies suggest that tissue-specific characteristics and spatial organization of the clock may be achieved through the coordination of distinct oscillators across the plant.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Ueli Schibler
Summary: Mammalian body cells have cell-autonomous and self-sustained circadian oscillators relying on delayed negative feedback loops in gene expression. Transcriptional activation and repression, as well as post-translational mechanisms like phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, play crucial roles in setting the pace of these timekeepers. The study by Klemz and colleagues in Genes & Development demonstrates how dephosphorylation of BMAL1 by protein phosphatase 4 (PPP4) participates in the modulation of circadian timing.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kosaku Masuda, Isao T. Tokuda, Norihito Nakamichi, Hirokazu Fukuda
Summary: Circadian clocks enable organisms to synchronize physiological processes with diurnal variations, with the phase response curve being a key tool to understand clock entrainment. This study demonstrates that fundamental properties of the curve can be recovered from the singularity response, which can be easily measured by applying a single stimulus to a desynchronized cellular network. The method is simple, accurate, and applicable to other coupled oscillator systems, offering potential to study circadian clock entrainment in plants and other species in a cost-effective manner.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Amy Newman, Emma Picot, Sian Davies, Sally Hilton, Isabelle A. Carre, Gary D. Bending
Summary: Aberrant function of plant circadian clock can lead to altered rhythmicity of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi, resulting in changes in the composition of rhizosphere microbiome with potential consequences for plant health.
Article
Biology
Pyonghwa Kim, Neha Thati, Shreya Peshori, Hye-In Jang, Yong-Ick Kim
Summary: The oscillatory phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of proteins in the cyanobacterial circadian clock is regulated by the interaction between KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. KaiB plays a critical role in dephosphorylating hyperphosphorylated KaiC, independent of KaiA's effect, by inducing a conformational change in the A-loop of KaiC. Additionally, KaiB's binding to KaiC contributes to the robustness of cyclic KaiC phosphorylation by inhibiting it during the dephosphorylation phase, effectively keeping the clock in the correct phase.
Article
Plant Sciences
Devang Mehta, Johanna Krahmer, R. Glen Uhrig
Summary: The understanding of diel cell regulation in plants has greatly advanced through the use of transcriptomics and proteomics technologies. Studies indicate that the diel transcriptome and proteome lack synchrony, with protein-level regulation being influenced by factors such as post-translational modifications and protein-protein interactions. This highlights the importance of focusing on protein-level regulation in plant chronobiology research.
Review
Plant Sciences
Hang Xu, Xiling Wang, Jian Wei, Yi Zuo, Lei Wang
Summary: Global climatic change poses an increasing threat to plant adaptation and crop yields. The plant circadian clock plays a crucial role in synchronizing internal biological processes with external environmental cues, thereby benefiting plant adaptation and yield. This review focuses on the interaction between the plant circadian clock and environmental factors, summarizing recent progress on how the circadian clock affects crop yield. Additionally, potential strategies for utilizing circadian biology in crop production are proposed.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Jiapei Yan, Yeon Jeong Kim, David E. Somers
Summary: The molecular components of the circadian system can act together to form a self-sustaining oscillator, but also individually or in complexes to regulate circadian control over various physiological and developmental outputs. While most studies have focused on transcriptional control, recent research highlights the importance of post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms in impacting both the oscillator function and clock-controlled outputs.
Article
Cell Biology
Sabrina Klemz, Thomas Wallach, Sandra Korge, Mechthild Rosing, Roman Klemz, Bert Maier, Nicholas C. Fiorenza, Irem Kaymak, Anna K. Fritzsche, Erik D. Herzog, Ralf Stanewsky, Achim Kramer
Summary: In organisms with circadian clocks, the post-translational modifications of clock proteins, particularly phosphorylation, play a crucial role in controlling circadian rhythms. Protein phosphatase 4 (PPP4) and its regulatory subunit PPP4R2 have been identified as critical components in mammals and Drosophila, affecting the circadian system by regulating phosphorylation and transactivation activity of CLOCK/BMAL1.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Frank A. J. L. Scheer, Michael F. Hilton, Heather L. Evoniuk, Sally A. Shiels, Atul Malhotra, Rena Sugarbaker, R. Timothy Ayers, Elliot Israel, Anthony F. Massaro, Steven A. Shea
Summary: The study found that asthma patients experience worsened lung function and exacerbation of symptoms at night, often masked by sleep. Asthma patients exhibit significant circadian rhythms throughout the day and are more likely to use bronchodilators during the night.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xiaoxiao Lu, Minjie Zhou, Nannan Liu, Chengshun Zhang, Zhengyu Zhao, Dingjun Cai
Summary: This study found that EA treatment can partially restore the circadian rhythmicity of mice exposed to constant darkness for a long time. By using mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics, the molecular characteristics of phosphorylation modifications in the suprachiasmatic nucleus were explored, revealing the significant role of structural proteins in this process.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiapei Yan, Shibai Li, Yeon Jeong Kim, Qingning Zeng, Amandine Radziejwoski, Lei Wang, Yuko Nomura, Hirofumi Nakagami, David E. Somers
Summary: Phosphorylation of TOC1 alters its interactions with co-regulators, influencing photoperiodic hypocotyl growth in plants.
