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Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation02:19

Circadian 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,...
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Monitoring Cell-autonomous Circadian Clock Rhythms of Gene Expression Using Luciferase Bioluminescence Reporters
10:38

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Published on: September 27, 2012

Watch the clock-engineering biological systems to be on time.

Dominique Aubel1, Martin Fussenegger

  • 1Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|October 12, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Synthetic biologists created functional synthetic clocks using genetic parts and feedback loops. These engineered biological clocks mimic natural systems for precise timekeeping and biological coordination.

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Area of Science:

  • Synthetic Biology
  • Systems Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Natural circadian clocks regulate daily and seasonal biological activities.
  • These clocks manage crucial physiological processes like feeding, sleeping, and reproduction.
  • Understanding these natural mechanisms inspires synthetic clock design.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the design and construction of functional synthetic clocks.
  • To explore how genetic components and feedback loops create biological timekeeping.
  • To highlight the principles enabling diverse synthetic oscillator designs.

Main Methods:

  • Assembling functional synthetic clocks from standardized genetic components.
  • Arranging components in transcription circuits with positive and negative feedback loops.
  • Integrating time-delay dynamics for precise temporal control.

Main Results:

  • Successful assembly of functional synthetic biological clocks.
  • Demonstration of positive feedback loops driving clock function.
  • Implementation of negative time-delay circuits for temporal precision.

Conclusions:

  • Synthetic biology enables the creation of artificial biological clocks.
  • Feedback loops and time delays are key design principles for synthetic oscillators.
  • This approach allows for the construction of various synthetic clock designs.