Objetivo Circadian clocks are internal daily time keeping mechanisms that are required for autonomous daily rhythms in physiology and behaviour of both fruit flies and humans. Our previous work has identified a developmental role in fruit flies for the transcription factor CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC), which represents a phylogenetic and functional orthologue of the key human circadian regulator CLOCK/BMAL1. By conditionally manipulating the developmental expression of the genes for CYC as well as the CLK/CYC inhibitor PERIOD (PER), we found that CLK/CYC acts in the clock neurons during metamorphosis to ensure that the adult neural clock circuit maintains the ability to generate circadian locomotor behaviour in constant darkness. The proposed research aims to elucidate this novel role for CLK/CYC by (1) more precisely identifying its spatiotemporal context, (2) determining the associated molecular and cellular phenotypes in adult clock neurons, and (3) systematically testing a number of candidate genes for their involvement in generating the observed phenotypes. Our experimental strategy takes advantage of a combination of fruit fly genetics, confocal immunofluorescence, and behavioural assays that are all well-established in our research group. Ultimately, elucidation of the signalling pathways connecting developmental CLK/CYC activity to overt circadian behaviour in adult flies will provide a compelling rationale for exploring analogous mechanisms associated with the homologous mammalian CLOCK/BMAL and NPAS2/BMAL complexes. Given the association of the Clock and Bmal genes with circadian control of a broad array of physiological functions including metabolism and sleep and the high degree of structural and functional conservation between the clocks of flies and human this study has strong relevance to human health and well-being. Ámbito científico natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturehorticulturefruit growingmedical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiology Programa(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Tema(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG - Marie-Curie Action: "Career Integration Grants" Convocatoria de propuestas FP7-PEOPLE-2013-CIG Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoria Régimen de financiación MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG) Coordinador UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON Aportación de la UE € 100 000,00 Dirección Highfield SO17 1BJ Southampton Reino Unido Ver en el mapa Región South East (England) Hampshire and Isle of Wight Southampton Tipo de actividad Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contacto administrativo Yan Qiao (Ms.) Enlaces Contactar con la organización Opens in new window Sitio web Opens in new window Coste total Sin datos
