"The Environment is Everything That Isn't Me": Molecular Mechanisms and Evolutionary Dynamics of Insect Clocks in Variable Surroundings

Frontiers in Physiology
Gustavo B S RivasAntonio Carlos Alves Meireles-Filho

Abstract

Circadian rhythms are oscillations in behavior, metabolism and physiology that have a period close to 24 h. These rhythms are controlled by an internal pacemaker that evolved under strong selective pressures imposed by environmental cyclical changes, mainly of light and temperature. The molecular nature of the circadian pacemaker was extensively studied in a number of organisms under controlled laboratory conditions. But although these studies were fundamental to our understanding of the circadian clock, most of the environmental conditions used resembled rather crudely the relatively constant situation at lower latitudes. At higher latitudes light-dark and temperature cycles vary considerably across different seasons, with summers having long and hot days and winters short and cold ones. Considering these differences and other external cues, such as moonlight, recent studies in more natural and semi-natural situations revealed unexpected features at both molecular and behavioral levels, highlighting the dramatic influence of multiple environmental variables in the molecular clockwork. This emphasizes the importance of studying the circadian clock in the wild, where seasonal environmental changes fine-tune the underlying circad...Continue Reading

References

Oct 22, 1992·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·R CostaC P Kyriacou
May 1, 1974·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·R S SinghR C Lewontin
Sep 1, 1971·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·R J Konopka, S Benzer
Jan 1, 1993·Annual Review of Physiology·C S Pittendrigh
Jan 1, 1993·Journal of Biological Rhythms·D A WheelerJ C Hall
Jul 1, 1997·Molecular and Cellular Biology·H HaoP E Hardin
Apr 8, 1998·Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology·C Helfrich-Förster
Jul 27, 1999·Science·M F CerianiS A Kay
Aug 12, 1999·Chronobiology International·N Mrosovsky
Jun 6, 2000·Neuron·P EmeryM Rosbash
Aug 17, 2001·Journal of Biological Rhythms·E Tauber, B P Kyriacou
Oct 5, 2001·Molecular and Cellular Biology·F J LinA Sehgal
Jan 28, 2003·Current Biology : CB·Eran TauberCharalambos P Kyriacou
Feb 10, 2004·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·B H CollinsC P Kyriacou
Mar 12, 2004·Mechanisms of Ageing and Development·Gretchen L Geiger-Thornsberry, Trudy F C Mackay
Mar 19, 2004·Current Biology : CB·Orie T ShaferJeffery C Hall
May 25, 2004·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·George W GilchristLuis Serra
Apr 19, 2005·Genetics·Sergey V NuzhdinJames W Curtsinger

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 25, 2017·Insect Molecular Biology·S Chahad-EhlersR A de Brito
May 16, 2018·Journal of Biological Rhythms·Gustavo B S RivasRafaela Vieira Bruno
Oct 16, 2019·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Ann M TarrantHanny E Rivera

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
ubiquitination

Software Mentioned

tim
ls

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Antonio Carlos Alves Meireles-Filho, Charalambos P Kyriacou
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved