Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
Published on: September 27, 2012
microRNA modulation of circadian-clock period and entrainment
Hai-Ying M Cheng1, Joseph W Papp, Olga Varlamova
1Department of Neuroscience, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. hymcheng@yahoo.ca
Abstract:
microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, noncoding RNAs that regulate the stability or translation of mRNA transcripts. Although recent work has implicated miRNAs in development and in disease, the expression and function of miRNAs in the adult mammalian nervous system have not been extensively characterized. Here, we examine the role of two brain-specific miRNAs, miR-219 and miR-132, in modulating the circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. miR-219 is a target of the CLOCK and BMAL1 complex, exhibits robust circadian rhythms of expression, and the in vivo knockdown of miR-219 lengthens the circadian period. miR-132 is induced by photic entrainment cues via a MAPK/CREB-dependent mechanism, modulates clock-gene expression, and attenuates the entraining effects of light. Collectively, these data reveal miRNAs as clock- and light-regulated genes and provide a mechanistic examination of their roles as effectors of pacemaker activity and entrainment.
Related Concept Videos
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
Chronopharmacokinetics: Circadian Rhythms and Influence on Drug Response
The time of drug administration is an important factor to consider, as it can influence the toxic dose of a drug. For example, a study conducted by Prins et al. in 1997 examined the effects of the timing of...
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs

