Circadian clock - Its generation mechanism and physiological significance.

Physiological significance of a peripheral tissue circadian clock.

Mammals have circadian clocks in peripheral tissues, but there is no direct evidence of their physiological importance. Unlike the suprachiasmatic nucleus clock that is set by light and drives rest-activity and fasting-feeding cycles, peripheral clocks are set by daily feeding, suggesting that at least some contribute metabolic regulation. The liver plays a well known role in glucose homeostasi...

Circadian waveform and its significance for clock organization and plasticity

Modeling the circadian clock: from molecular mechanism to physiological disorders.

Based on genetic and biochemical advances on the molecular mechanism of circadian rhythms, a computational model for the mammalian circadian clock is used to examine the dynamical bases of circadian-clock-related physiological disorders in humans. Entrainment by the light-dark cycle with a phase advance or a phase delay is associated with the Familial advanced sleep phase syndrome (FASPS) or th...

Mechanism of the Circadian Clock in Physiology Mechanism of the circadian clock in physiology

Richards J, Gumz ML. Mechanism of the circadian clock in physiology. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 304: R1053–R1064, 2013. First published April 10, 2013; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00066.2013.—It has been well established that the circadian clock plays a crucial role in the regulation of almost every physiological process. It also plays a critical role in pathophysiological states including ...

Physiological importance of a circadian clock outside the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

Circadian clocks are widely distributed in mammalian tissues, but little is known about the physiological functions of clocks outside the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain. The retina has an intrinsic circadian clock, but its importance for vision is unknown. Here, we show that mice lacking Bmal1, a gene required for clock function, had abnormal retinal transcriptional responses to light and...