Articles tagged with Biological Rhythms
Scientists studied the circadian clocks of two fruit fly species from Finland and Tanzania. Finnish flies adapted their activity pattern to longer days, while Tanzanian flies were influenced by the equator's long daylight hours. The study reveals tiny differences in the flies' brains that affect their behavior.
Researchers developed a computer method called ZeitZeiger that uses genome-wide expression data to predict a person's 'internal' time of day. The method demonstrates accurate predictions using 15 genes from across the human genome, including non-core clock genes.
A subset of genes involved in daily circadian rhythms become active late in life or during intense stress, helping to protect critical life functions. These 'late-life cyclers' may combat serious stresses associated with age, disease, or environmental challenges.
Research found that exposure to natural light for as little as a weekend camping trip can shift the circadian rhythm and potentially deliver health benefits, including improved sleep and reduced seasonal depression. The study suggests that architectural design can incorporate tunable lighting to enhance performance and well-being.
Researchers at RIKEN create genetic knock-out rescue mice to study circadian timekeeping and identify key sites in the CRY1 gene that affect the duration of the circadian period. They find that specific mutations near the p-loop region influence phosphorylation levels, leading to longer or shorter circadian periods.
Research reveals how plants regulate their response to elevated temperatures differently between daytime and nighttime. A plant's response to heat stress is maximized during the hottest part of the day when TOC1 binds to PIF4 inhibiting its activity at night.
Carbon monoxide metabolism is linked to the body's circadian rhythms, and disruption can cause metabolic disorders such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Researchers have identified a reciprocal relationship between carbon monoxide production and the body's internal clock.
Researchers found that disrupting the brain's internal clock causes depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. The study provides new evidence on the relationship between circadian rhythms and mood regulation, suggesting a causal link between functioning internal clocks and mood disorders.
Researchers discover that Calcium/Calmodlin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is the main effector behind the adaptation of the circadian clock to geographical environment in marine midges. This protein, also found in humans, may play a role in human chronotypes and neuropsychiatric disorders.
A team of researchers identified three novel proteins that act together on clock neurons to make the clock light responsive. The Quasimodo protein regulates light responses in the fly's clock neurons, controlling the circadian rhythm.
Finnish researchers found that a melatonin receptor gene influences shift workers' ability to adapt to disrupted daily rhythms. A common variation in the MTNR1A gene is linked to job-related exhaustion experienced by shift workers.
Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new microfluidic technology to track tens of thousands of cells with single-cell precision. This allows scientists to confirm that many cells have a distinct circadian rhythm and observe individual cells syncing their rhythms over time.
Psychobiotics examines emerging strategies for planting brain-altering bacteria in the gut to provide mental benefits. Researchers agree that key players, including the nervous system and immune system, are involved in the gut-brian axis.
A study published in Cell Metabolism found that varying oxygen levels can reset the circadian clock of mice, which could inform how airlines moderate cabin air pressure. The research also suggests potential benefits for humans, including alleviating jetlag and improving air travel comfort.
Researchers identify peptide allatostatin A in Drosophila that regulates feeding behavior and promotes sleep, with effects comparable to human galanin receptor. The study provides insights into the complex interactions of hunger, sleep and digestion.
A study by Indiana University researchers found that people are more likely to undermine their performance at stressful tasks when they're operating at 'peak capacity' based on their preferred time of the day. This behavior, known as self-handicapping, was more common among morning people in the morning and night owls in the evening.
Plant biologists discovered how sunflowers use their internal circadian clocks to follow the sun during the day as they grow, acting on growth hormones. The plants' ability to track the sun was disrupted when staked or turned away from the sun, and continued even in an indoor growth chamber with a fixed light source.
Researchers found that virus replication increases at certain times of the day, with peak replication occurring in the morning. This suggests that shift workers, whose body clocks are disrupted, may be more prone to viral diseases.
Researchers at UC Davis discovered how sunflowers follow the sun during the day using their internal clock, affecting growth hormones and flower orientation. The study found two growth mechanisms at work in sunflower stems, one driven by light availability and another controlled by the circadian clock.
Reef fish are adapting to higher CO2 levels by changing their circadian rhythms, a key finding from genomic research. The study found that fish can adjust their internal clocks to compensate for elevated night-time CO2, allowing them to survive in altered environments.
Researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered that social time cues override light exposure in regulating honeybees' natural body clock. This finding highlights the complexity of clock regulation in natural habitats and has implications for understanding circadian rhythms in other species.
Researchers at McLean Hospital discovered that individuals with bipolar disorder have altered somatostatin expression in the brain's amygdala, which regulates anxiety and stress response. This altered circadian function is linked to severity of depression and anxiety symptoms, providing potential neural correlates for circadian rhythm ...
Daily melatonin administration significantly reduced blood pressure in elderly subjects, with the most pronounced effect occurring between 3:00 and 8:00 am. Melatonin also synchronized disrupted circadian rhythms of blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature, providing a new approach to hypertension treatment.
A study of worldwide sleep patterns combines math modeling, mobile apps and big data to parse the roles society and biology each play in setting sleep schedules. Cultural pressures can override natural circadian rhythms, with effects showing up most markedly at bedtime.
Researchers found that lung cancer can rewire the body's clock to control lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in the liver. This alteration leads to decreased glucose tolerance and changes in lipid metabolism.
Researchers have identified a core group of neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus that share information during resynchronization, while those outside this central hub behave like acquaintances. Understanding the SCN's neural network structure is crucial for tackling illnesses like diabetes and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Researchers found that high-intensity blue light reduces inflammation and organ damage at the cellular level in mice before surgery. This potential pre-treatment light therapy could improve outcomes in patients undergoing procedures with blood restriction.
A study found that kidneys possess an innate circadian clock regulating various functions, including urine formation and excretion, which adapt to daily light-dark cycles. This internal clock also influences the levels of amino acids and lipids in the blood and affects drug elimination in individuals taking medications.
Researchers at Temple University Health System found that disturbances in circadian rhythm exacerbate motor and learning deficits in Parkinson's disease. Altering circadian rhythm through daily light exposure can accelerate cell death and worsen neuroinflammation, potentially speeding disease progression.
A study published in The Plant Cell reveals that clock genes produced during the evening are regulated by clock proteins produced in the morning. This discovery sheds light on how plants adapt to their environment through a complex biological clock system.
Researchers found that circadian changes in mitochondria regulate energy levels and sugar use for energy production. The study suggests that timing of meals affects metabolic health.
Researchers at WashU Medicine used whole brain scans to discover that different groups of neurons become active at different times of day, despite being on the same molecular clock. This reveals a new mechanism for encoding daily rhythms in neural signaling.
Researchers discovered a 'circadian circuit' in which clock neurons send signals to the central brain areas that regulate activity and sleep. This mechanism allows time information to be transmitted through the brain.
A recent study published in Nature Communications has identified genetic variants linked to a preference for mornings or nights, revealing the biological basis of morningness. The research found that individuals with a 'morning' genotype tend to have lower BMI and are less likely to suffer from depression.
A study found that disrupted circadian rhythms can lead to nondipping blood pressure, a risk factor for hypertension and vascular disease. A low-salt diet can exacerbate this effect, increasing the risk of disease.
Researchers discovered that blood plasma metabolites and RNA from pigs oscillate on a five-day rhythm, mirroring a corresponding rhythm in tooth enamel. This finding provides insight into biological processes regulating growth and body size, and may be key to understanding species' life history evolution.
A study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that the circadian rhythm of gene activity changes with aging, leading to altered sleep and cognitive patterns. The team identified core genes that make up the molecular clock in the prefrontal cortex, which may explain some age-related alterations in brain function.
A new study finds that bacterial circadian clocks are set by metabolic rhythms, rather than light exposure. Genetically engineered cyanobacteria showed that the clock responds to sugar availability and can maintain a regular rhythm in complete darkness.
Researchers designed synthetic microbes to learn what drives the bacterial circadian clock and how it might be manipulated. The findings indicate that the cyanobacteria's clock can synchronize to metabolism outside of photosynthesis, suggesting potential applications in engineered microbes.
Scientists have discovered that the length of a living organism's 24-hour internal clock remains constant despite temperature fluctuations. The study found that external pathways sensitive to temperature cue the clock to skip ahead or backward, while the core mechanisms within the clock itself remain insensitive to temperature.
Research reveals that dietary restriction enhances the expression of circadian clock genes in fruit flies, improving fat metabolism and extending lifespan. The study suggests a potential target for drug development to promote healthy aging.
Researchers discovered that IR25a plays a key role in entraining fruit fly brains to small changes in temperature. The study found that when temperature fluctuations were large, flies lacking IR25a could adapt, but when they were small, the flies struggled to synchronize their circadian clocks.
A new Northwestern Medicine study has identified thousands of genetic pathways that regulate insulin production and blood sugar control in the pancreas, which could lead to new therapies for children and adults with diabetes. The researchers created a detailed map of genes controlled by the circadian clock's transcription factors.
Researchers at Virginia Tech will investigate the effects of circadian rhythms on fundamental cellular processes using a $750,000 NSF award. The study aims to understand how disruptions in circadian rhythms contribute to disease development and progression.
Researchers found that polyamines, which decline with age, regulate the functioning of circadian clocks. Administering polyamine supplements restored clock function in older mice, suggesting potential clinical applications.
Researchers found that polyamine supplementation reverses slowed circadian clocks in aging mice, opening new possibilities for nutritional interventions. The discovery has potential implications for age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers discovered that the retina employs a separate light-sensitive pigment called neuropsin to regulate its internal rhythms. Neuropsin is distinct from melanopsin, which controls the body's circadian rhythms and synchronizes with the suprachiasmatic nuclei.
A CU-Boulder study shows that evening caffeine consumption can delay the internal circadian clock by approximately 40 minutes. The researchers also found that bright light exposure induces even greater phase delays, suggesting a possible ceiling effect on human circadian clocks.
Jae Kyoung Kim's research uses mathematical modeling and synthetic biology to understand how biological circuits generate and sustain stable rhythms. The study found that a novel bacterial circuit generates robust rhythms under various conditions, providing insights into the fundamental mechanism of rhythm generation in biological syst...
Daily changes in nuclear positioning of circadian genes regulate their activity with a 24-hour period. Researchers identified two proteins PARP1 and CTCF that bring genes to the periphery, promoting silent state.
A new statistical approach, called Oscope, identifies oscillating genes in single-cell RNA-sequencing experiments by examining cells from an unsynchronized population. The technique captures one base cycle of each group of cyclic genes, offering a practical way to profile distinct groups of genes that play a cyclical role.
Researchers found that manipulating the circadian clock's timing signal can restore reproductive function in older female mice. This approach may have implications for human fertility and suggest the importance of 'circadian hygiene' to prevent reproductive difficulties.
Researchers at Scripps Florida will study RORs, molecules that regulate circadian rhythm and carbohydrate metabolism, to better understand their role in neurological disorders. The new grant aims to expand the understanding of these receptors and develop experimental compounds for treating conditions like depression and bipolar disease.
A team of University of Washington biologists has identified a key mechanism plants use to decide when to release their floral scents. They found that the petunia's LHY gene controls when the plant releases its fragrance, connecting it to the innate circadian rhythms that pulse through all life on Earth.
A study by the University of Leicester reveals that a thermosensory gene called TrpA1 is linked to changes in behavior in flies during warmer climates. The research suggests that this gene plays a crucial role in regulating the biological clock, which is essential for controlling circadian rhythms.
Researchers found that the KaiC protein encodes the Earth's 24-hour rotation period at an atomic level. The protein's structure and reactivity regulate molecular rhythms, which could lead to new therapies for circadian rhythm disorders.
A new study led by Dr. Jinbo Bi at the University of Connecticut School of Engineering aims to find the genetic causes of specific symptoms of substance addiction. The study will use a database of over 11,000 subjects and develop new statistical tools to classify substance dependence more effectively.
The study reveals that Rev-erbα has two distinct roles in regulating the body clock and metabolism, one in cells across the body and another in the liver. This dual function may enable the development of targeted therapies for metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.
A team of researchers discovered that the main clock of flies is controlled by mechanisms similar to those regulating human internal clocks. This study demonstrates how distant organisms can share similar biological clock gears despite displaying different circadian activities.
Researchers discovered that bioluminescent fungi produce light to attract insects that disperse their spores. The circadian control of bioluminescence makes the process more efficient and helps the mushrooms save energy. Studying these organisms is crucial for understanding forest ecosystems and the carbon cycle.