Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
13:10
Detection and Visualization of DNA Damage-induced Protein Complexes in Suspension Cell Cultures Using the Proximity Ligation Assay
Published on: June 9, 2017
Emerging links between the biological clock and the DNA damage response
Spencer J Collis1, Simon J Boulton
1DNA Damage Response Lab, Clare Hall Laboratories, Cancer Research UK, Blanch Lane, South Mimms, EN6 3LD, UK.
Chromosoma
|May 12, 2007
Summary
Biological clocks (BC) regulate daily rhythms in mammals, influencing cellular processes. New research links BC proteins to cell cycle control and DNA damage, suggesting a role in human cancer development.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Life forms adapt to environmental conditions, notably the light-dark cycle.
- Circadian rhythm/biological clock (BC) systems, controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), regulate daily physiological processes in mammals.
- Aging, tumorigenesis, and cancer progression have been linked to BC factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent discoveries linking biological clock (BC) proteins to cell cycle and DNA damage pathways.
- To emphasize the potential role of BC proteins in human diseases like cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature and data.
- Focus on molecular links between BC proteins and cell cycle/DNA damage response pathways.
Main Results:
- Established molecular connections between specific BC proteins and mammalian cell cycle/DNA damage checkpoint factors.
- Evidence suggests BC proteins play a role in regulating cell cycle progression and DNA repair.
Conclusions:
- BC proteins are intricately involved with cell cycle and DNA damage response pathways.
- Dysregulation of these BC proteins may contribute to the development of human cancers.
Related Concept Videos
02:36DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
02:36DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle
In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
02:19Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
02:19Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
02:25Overview of DNA Repair
In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Chemically...
02:25Overview of DNA Repair
In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...
Chemically...