Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-14-2023
Abstract
The mammalian circadian system generates an approximate 24-h rhythm through a complex autoregulatory feedback loop. Four genes, Period1 (Per1), Period2 (Per2), Cryptochrome1 (Cry1), and Cryptochrome2 (Cry2), regulate the negative feedback within this loop. Although these proteins have distinct roles within the core circadian mechanism, their individual functions are poorly understood. Here, we used a tetracycline trans-activator system (tTA) to examine the role of transcriptional oscillations in Cry1 and Cry2 in the persistence of circadian activity rhythms. We demonstrate that rhythmic Cry1 expression is an important regulator of circadian period. We then define a critical period from birth to postnatal day 45 (PN45) where the level of Cry1 expression is critical for setting the endogenous free running period in the adult animal. Moreover, we show that, although rhythmic Cry1 expression is important, in animals with disrupted circadian rhythms overexpression of Cry1 is sufficient to restore normal behavioral periodicity. These findings provide new insights into the roles of the Cryptochrome proteins in circadian rhythmicity and further our understanding of the mammalian circadian clock.
Copyright Statement
© 2023 Schirmer, Kumar, Schook, Song, Marshall and Takahashi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
DOI
10.3389/fnins.2023.1166137
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Frontiers in Neuroscience
Volume Number
17
First Page
1
Last Page
9
ISSN
1662-453X
Recommended Citation
Schirmer, Aaron; Kumar, Vivek; Schook, Andrew; Song, Eun Joo; Marshall, Michael S.; and Takahashi, Joseph S., "Cry1 expression during postnatal development is critical for the establishment of normal circadian period" (2023). Biology Faculty Publications. 52.
https://neiudc.neiu.edu/bio-pub/52