INTRODUCTION Hearing sound that does not originate in the world outside the body is an experience every human has at one time or another in life. Circadian rhythm is common for all living organisms and nearly all physiological functions, especially sleep-wake cycles, exhibit circadian rhythmicity. A short survey conducted in the study center revealed that majority of the tinnitus subjects repor...

There are several controversies concerning the enhanced gene expression of cardiac renin-angiotensin system components in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with their normotensive control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. We hypothesized that these discrepancies arise from circadian fluctuations in gene expression. We examined the circadian mRNA expression of renin, angiotensinogen, ACE, an...

Circadian (∼24 h) clocks are self-sustained endogenous oscillators with which organisms keep track of daily and seasonal time. Circadian clocks frequently rely on interlocked transcriptional-translational feedback loops to generate rhythms that are robust against intrinsic and extrinsic perturbations. To investigate the dynamics and mechanisms of the intracellular feedback loops in circadian cl...

EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) plays key roles in the control of circadian rhythms, photoperiodic flowering, hypocotyls length and response to light in Arabidopsis. ELF3, however, encodes a protein without any motifs or domains of known function. Biochemical function of ELF3 has been largely unknown. Here we show the first demonstration of diversity of numbers of polyglutamines in the ELF3 among 60 A...

In this study we present a detailed, mechanism-based mathematical framework of Drosophila circadian rhythms. This framework facilitates a more systematic approach to understanding circadian rhythms using a comprehensive representation of the network underlying this phenomenon. The possible mechanisms underlying the cytoplasmic "interval timer" created by PERIOD-TIMELESS association are investig...

Acamprosate suppresses alcohol intake and craving in recovering alcoholics; however, the central sites of its action are unclear. To approach this question, brain regions responsive to acamprosate were mapped using acamprosate microimplants targeted to brain reward and circadian areas implicated in alcohol dependence. mPer2 mutant mice with nonfunctional mPer2, a circadian clock gene that gates...

VIP acting via the VPAC(2) receptor is implicated as a key signaling pathway in the maintenance and resetting of the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) circadian pacemaker; circadian rhythms in SCN clock gene expression and wheel-running behavior are abolished in mice lacking the VPAC(2) receptor (Vipr2(-/-)). Here, using immunohistochemical detection of pERK (phosphorylated extracellula...

Circadian rhythms are physiological and behavioral cycles with a period of approximately 24 hours that are generated by an endogenous clock, or oscillator. Found in diverse organisms, they are precisely controlled and provide growth and fitness benefits. Numerous microarray studies examining circadian control of gene expression have reported that a substantial fraction of the genomes of many or...

Circadian rhythms with an endogenous period close to or equal to the natural light-dark cycle are considered evolutionarily adaptive ("circadian resonance hypothesis"). Despite remarkable insight into the molecular mechanisms driving circadian cycles, this hypothesis has not been tested under natural conditions for any eukaryotic organism. We tested this hypothesis in mice bearing a short-perio...

Circadian genes are responsible for maintaining the ancient adaptation of a 24-hour circadian rhythm and influence a variety of cancer-related biological pathways, including the regulation of sex hormone levels. However, few studies have been undertaken to investigate the role of circadian genes in the development of prostate cancer, the most common cancer type among men (excluding nonmelanoma ...