The right place at the right time: regulation of daily timing by phosphorylation

Studying the Human Microbiota: Advances in Understanding the Fundamentals, Origin, and Evolution of Biological Timekeeping

The recently observed circadian oscillations of the intestinal microbiota underscore the profound nature of the human-microbiome relationship and its importance for health. Together with the discovery of circadian clocks in non-photosynthetic gut bacteria and circadian rhythms in anucleated cells, these findings have indicated the possibility that virtually all microorganisms may possess functional biological clocks. However, they have also raised many essential questions concerning the fundamentals of biological timekeeping, its evolution, and its origin. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent literature in molecular chronobiology, aiming to bring together the latest evidence on the structure and mechanisms driving microbial biological clocks while pointing to potential applications of this knowledge in medicine. Moreover, it discusses the latest hypotheses regarding the evolution of timing mechanisms and describes the functions of peroxiredoxins in cells and their contribution to the cellular clockwork. The diversity of biological clocks among various human-associated microorganisms and the role of transcriptional and post-translational timekeeping mechanisms are also addressed. Finally, recent evidence on metabolic oscillators and host-microbiome communication is presented.

The key clock component ZEITLUPE (ZTL) negatively regulates ABA signaling by degradation of CHLH in Arabidopsis

Ubiquitination-mediated protein degradation plays important roles in ABA signal transduction and delivering responses to chloroplast stress signals in plants, but additional E3 ligases of protein ubiquitination remain to be identified to understand the complex signaling network. Here we reported that ZEITLUPE (ZTL), an F-box protein, negatively regulates abscisic acid (ABA) signaling during ABA-inhibited early seedling growth and ABA-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using molecular biology and biochemistry approaches, we demonstrated that ZTL interacts with and ubiquitinates its substrate, CHLH/ABAR (Mg-chelatase H subunit/putative ABA receptor), to modulate CHLH stability via the 26S proteasome pathway. CHLH acts genetically downstream of ZTL in ABA and drought stress signaling. Interestingly, ABA conversely induces ZTL phosphorylation, and high levels of ABA also induce CHLH proteasomal degradation, implying that phosphorylated ZTL protein may enhance the affinity to CHLH, leading to the increased degradation of CHLH after ABA treatment. Taken together, our results revealed a possible mechanism of reciprocal regulation between ABA signaling and the circadian clock, which is thought to be essential for plant fitness and survival.

CRYPTOCHROMES confer robustness, not rhythmicity, to circadian timekeeping

Circadian rhythms are a pervasive property of mammalian cells, tissues and behaviour, ensuring physiological adaptation to solar time. Models of cellular timekeeping revolve around transcriptional feedback repression, whereby CLOCK and BMAL1 activate the expression of PERIOD (PER) and CRYPTOCHROME (CRY), which in turn repress CLOCK/BMAL1 activity. CRY proteins are therefore considered essential components of the cellular clock mechanism, supported by behavioural arrhythmicity of CRY-deficient (CKO) mice under constant conditions. Challenging this interpretation, we find locomotor rhythms in adult CKO mice under specific environmental conditions and circadian rhythms in cellular PER2 levels when CRY is absent. CRY-less oscillations are variable in their expression and have shorter periods than wild-type controls. Importantly, we find classic circadian hallmarks such as temperature compensation and period determination by CK1δ/ε activity to be maintained. In the absence of CRY-mediated feedback repression and rhythmic Per2 transcription, PER2 protein rhythms are sustained for several cycles, accompanied by circadian variation in protein stability. We suggest that, whereas circadian transcriptional feedback imparts robustness and functionality onto biological clocks, the core timekeeping mechanism is post-translational.

Achieving effective and selective CK1 inhibitors through structure modification

Casein kinase 1 (CK1) is an extensively expressed serine/threonine kinase family, with six highly conserved isoforms of human CK1. Due to its involvement in many biological processes, CK1 is a promising target for several pathological states, including circadian sleep disorder, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and inflammation. However, due to the structural similarities between the six CK1 members, the design of CK1 inhibitors is intricate. So far, no effective CK1 inhibitors are reported to reach clinical trials; thus, approaches to obtaining both selective and effective CK1 inhibitors are in great demand. Here we analyze several CK1 inhibitors that provide successful experience for structure-based drug design and rational structure modification, which could provide references for further drug design.

Casein Kinase 1 Underlies Temperature Compensation of Circadian Rhythms in Human Red Blood Cells

Temperature compensation and period determination by casein kinase 1 (CK1) are conserved features of eukaryotic circadian rhythms, whereas the clock gene transcription factors that facilitate daily gene expression rhythms differ between phylogenetic kingdoms. Human red blood cells (RBCs) exhibit temperature-compensated circadian rhythms, which, because RBCs lack nuclei, must occur in the absence of a circadian transcription-translation feedback loop. We tested whether period determination and temperature compensation are dependent on CKs in RBCs. As with nucleated cell types, broad-spectrum kinase inhibition with staurosporine lengthened the period of the RBC clock at 37°C, with more specific inhibition of CK1 and CK2 also eliciting robust changes in circadian period. Strikingly, inhibition of CK1 abolished temperature compensation and increased the Q10 for the period of oscillation in RBCs, similar to observations in nucleated cells. This indicates that CK1 activity is essential for circadian rhythms irrespective of the presence or absence of clock gene expression cycles.

Non-transcriptional processes in circadian rhythm generation

'Biological clocks' orchestrate mammalian biology to a daily rhythm. Whilst 'clock gene' transcriptional circuits impart rhythmic regulation to myriad cellular systems, our picture of the biochemical mechanisms that determine their circadian (∼24 hour) period is incomplete. Here we consider the evidence supporting different models for circadian rhythm generation in mammalian cells in light of evolutionary factors. We find it plausible that the circadian timekeeping mechanism in mammalian cells is primarily protein-based, signalling biological timing information to the nucleus by the post-translational regulation of transcription factor activity, with transcriptional feedback imparting robustness to the oscillation via hysteresis. We conclude by suggesting experiments that might distinguish this model from competing paradigms.

Evidence for discrete solar and lunar orientation mechanisms in the beach amphipod, Talitrus saltator Montagu (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

Animals that use astronomical cues to orientate must make continuous adjustment to account for temporal changes in azimuth caused by Earth’s rotation. For example, the Monarch butterfly possesses a time-compensated sun compass dependent upon a circadian clock in the antennae. The amphipod Talitrus saltator possesses both a sun compass and a moon compass. We reasoned that the time-compensated compass mechanism that enables solar orientation of T. saltator is located in the antennae, as is the case for Monarch butterflies. We examined activity rhythms and orientation of sandhoppers with antennae surgically removed, or unilaterally occluded with black paint. Removing or painting the antennae did not affect daily activity rhythms or competence to orientate using the sun. However, when tested at night these animals were unable to orientate correctly to the moon. We subsequently measured circadian gene expression in the antennae and brain of T. saltator and show the clock genes period and cryptochrome 2 are rhythmically expressed in both tissues, reminiscent of other arthropods known to possess antennal clocks. Together, our behavioural and molecular data suggest that, T. saltator has anatomically discrete lunar and solar orientation apparatus; a sun compass, likely located in the brain and a moon compass in the antennae.

Circadian Organization oftau Mutant Hamsters: Aftereffects and Splitting

Homozygous tau mutant (τss) hamsters show an extremely short (20 h) circadian period (τ) that is attributable to altered enzymatic activity of casein kinase 1ε. It has been proposed that coupling of constituent circadian oscillators is strengthened in τss hamsters, explaining their tendency to show strong resetting after prolonged exposure to constant darkness. To evaluate further the circadian organization of τss hamsters, the authors assessed the extent of shortening of period as an aftereffect of exposure to light:dark cycles whose period (T) is 91% of τ and the ability of constant light to induce splitting. They find that τss hamsters show aftereffects comparable to wild types, indicating that normal CK1ε activity is not required for T cycles to shorten τ. This finding also contradicts the proposal that circadian period is homeostatically conserved. However, the authors find that τss hamsters rarely show splitting in constant light. Furthermore, LL does not induce lengthening of τ or reduction of activity duration (α) in these mutants. The authors' findings support the conclusion that the τ mutation alters the coupling between constituent circadian oscillators.

Modelling the effect of phosphorylation on the circadian clock of Drosophila

It is by now well known that, at the molecular level, the core of the circadian clock of most living species is a negative feedback loop where some proteins inhibit their own transcription. However, it has recently been shown that post-translational processes, such as phosphorylations, are essential for a correct timing of the clock. Depending on which sites of a circadian protein are phosphorylated, different properties such as degradation, nuclear localization and repressing power can be altered. Furthermore, phosphorylation domains can be related in a positive way, giving rise to consecutive phosphorylations, or in a negative way, hindering phosphorylation at other domains. Here we present a simple mathematical model of a circadian protein having two mutually exclusive domains of phosphorylation. We show that the system has limit cycles that arise from a unique fixed point through a Hopf bifurcation. We find a set of parameters, with realistic values, for which the limit cycle has the same period as the wild type circadian oscillations of the fruit fly. The domains act as a switch, in the sense that alterations in their phosphorylation can alter the period of circadian oscillation in opposite ways, increasing or decreasing the period of the wild type oscillations. In particular, we show that our model is able to reproduce some of the experimental results found for switch-like phosphorylations of the PER protein of the circadian clock of the fly Drosophila melanogaster.

A role for O-GlcNAcylation in setting circadian clock speed

Post-translational modifications of one or more central "clock" proteins, most notably time-of-day-dependent changes in phosphorylation, are critical for setting the pace of circadian (≅24 h) clocks. In animals, PERIOD (PER) proteins are the key state variable regulating circadian clock speed and undergo daily changes in abundance and cytoplasmic-nuclear distribution that are partly driven by a complex phosphorylation program. Here, we identify O-GlcNAcylation (O-GlcNAc) as a critical post-translational modification in circadian regulation that also contributes to setting clock speed. Knockdown or overexpression of Drosophila O-GlcNAc transferase (ogt) in clock cells either shortens or lengthens circadian behavioral rhythms, respectively. The Drosophila PERIOD protein (dPER) is a direct target of OGT and undergoes daily changes in O-GlcNAcylation, a modification that is mainly observed during the first half of the night, when dPER is predominantly located in the cytoplasm. Intriguingly, the timing of when dPER translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus is advanced or delayed in flies, wherein ogt expression is reduced or increased, respectively. Our results suggest that O-GlcNAcylation of dPER contributes to setting the correct pace of the clock by delaying the timing of dPER nuclear entry. In addition, OGT stabilizes dPER, suggesting that O-GlcNAcylation has multiple roles in circadian timing systems.

Proteasome function is required for biological timing throughout the twenty-four hour cycle

Circadian clocks were, until recently, seen as a consequence of rhythmic transcription of clock components, directed by transcriptional/translational feedback loops (TTFLs). Oscillations of protein modification were then discovered in cyanobacteria. Canonical posttranslational signaling processes have known importance for clocks across taxa. More recently, evidence from the unicellular eukaryote Ostreococcus tauri revealed a transcription-independent, rhythmic protein modification shared in anucleate human cells. In this study, the Ostreococcus system reveals a central role for targeted protein degradation in the mechanism of circadian timing. The Ostreococcus clockwork contains a TTFL involving the morning-expressed CCA1 and evening-expressed TOC1 proteins. Cellular CCA1 and TOC1 protein content and degradation rates are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using luciferase reporter fusion proteins. CCA1 protein degradation rates, measured in high time resolution, feature a sharp clock-regulated peak under constant conditions. TOC1 degradation peaks in response to darkness. Targeted protein degradation, unlike transcription and translation, is shown to be essential to sustain TTFL rhythmicity throughout the circadian cycle. Although proteasomal degradation is not necessary for sustained posttranslational oscillations in transcriptionally inactive cells, TTFL and posttranslational oscillators are normally coupled, and proteasome function is crucial to sustain both.

Circadian rhythms persist without transcription in a eukaryote

Circadian rhythms are ubiquitous in eukaryotes, and coordinate numerous aspects of behaviour, physiology and metabolism, from sleep/wake cycles in mammals to growth and photosynthesis in plants. This daily timekeeping is thought to be driven by transcriptional-translational feedback loops, whereby rhythmic expression of 'clock' gene products regulates the expression of associated genes in approximately 24-hour cycles. The specific transcriptional components differ between phylogenetic kingdoms. The unicellular pico-eukaryotic alga Ostreococcus tauri possesses a naturally minimized clock, which includes many features that are shared with plants, such as a central negative feedback loop that involves the morning-expressed CCA1 and evening-expressed TOC1 genes. Given that recent observations in animals and plants have revealed prominent post-translational contributions to timekeeping, a reappraisal of the transcriptional contribution to oscillator function is overdue. Here we show that non-transcriptional mechanisms are sufficient to sustain circadian timekeeping in the eukaryotic lineage, although they normally function in conjunction with transcriptional components. We identify oxidation of peroxiredoxin proteins as a transcription-independent rhythmic biomarker, which is also rhythmic in mammals. Moreover we show that pharmacological modulators of the mammalian clock mechanism have the same effects on rhythms in Ostreococcus. Post-translational mechanisms, and at least one rhythmic marker, seem to be better conserved than transcriptional clock regulators. It is plausible that the oldest oscillator components are non-transcriptional in nature, as in cyanobacteria, and are conserved across kingdoms.

The functional interplay between protein kinase CK2 and CCA1 transcriptional activity is essential for clock temperature compensation in Arabidopsis

Circadian rhythms are daily biological oscillations driven by an endogenous mechanism known as circadian clock. The protein kinase CK2 is one of the few clock components that is evolutionary conserved among different taxonomic groups. CK2 regulates the stability and nuclear localization of essential clock proteins in mammals, fungi, and insects. Two CK2 regulatory subunits, CKB3 and CKB4, have been also linked with the Arabidopsis thaliana circadian system. However, the biological relevance and the precise mechanisms of CK2 function within the plant clockwork are not known. By using ChIP and Double-ChIP experiments together with in vivo luminescence assays at different temperatures, we were able to identify a temperature-dependent function for CK2 modulating circadian period length. Our study uncovers a previously unpredicted mechanism for CK2 antagonizing the key clock regulator CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1). CK2 activity does not alter protein accumulation or subcellular localization but interferes with CCA1 binding affinity to the promoters of the oscillator genes. High temperatures enhance the CCA1 binding activity, which is precisely counterbalanced by the CK2 opposing function. Altering this balance by over-expression, mutation, or pharmacological inhibition affects the temperature compensation profile, providing a mechanism by which plants regulate circadian period at changing temperatures. Therefore, our study establishes a new model demonstrating that two opposing and temperature-dependent activities (CCA1-CK2) are essential for clock temperature compensation in Arabidopsis.

The evolution of the cyanobacterial posttranslational clock from a primitive "phoscillator"

Cyanobacteria were among the 1st organisms to evolve on earth. The molecular circadian clock proteins of cyanobacteria and their phylogenetics have recently been elucidated. This allows for a conjecture on the evolution of 1 of the 1st circadian clocks. A scenario has now been created by combining known in vitro and in vivo properties of the 3 clock proteins of cyanobacteria (KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC). This scenario describes the evolution of the cyanobacterial clock in gradual steps: evolving from a masking mechanism, toward an hourglass, into a clock.

Quantitative proteomics reveals a dynamic interactome and phase-specific phosphorylation in the Neurospora circadian clock

Circadian systems are comprised of multiple proteins functioning together to produce feedback loops driving robust, approximately 24 hr rhythms. In all circadian systems, proteins in these loops are regulated through myriad physically and temporally distinct posttranslational modifications (PTMs). To better understand how PTMs impact a circadian oscillator, we implemented a proteomics-based approach by combining purification of endogenous FREQUENCY (FRQ) and its interacting partners with quantitative mass spectrometry (MS). We identify and quantify time-of-day-specific protein-protein interactions in the clock and show how these provide a platform for temporal and physical separation between the dual roles of FRQ. Additionally, by unambiguously identifying over 75 phosphorylated residues, following their quantitative change over a circadian cycle, and examining the phenotypes of strains that have lost these sites, we demonstrate how spatially and temporally regulated phosphorylation has opposing effects directly on overt circadian rhythms and FRQ stability.

A large-scale functional RNAi screen reveals a role for CK2 in the mammalian circadian clock

Post-translational processes are essential for the generation and dynamics of mammalian circadian rhythms. In particular, phosphorylation of the key circadian protein PER2 precisely controls the period and phase of circadian oscillations. However, the mechanisms underlying that control are poorly understood. Here, we identified in a high-throughput RNAi-based genetic screen casein kinase 2 (CK2) as a PER2-phosphorylating kinase and novel component of the mammalian circadian clock. When CK2 subunits are silenced by RNAi or when CK2 activity is inhibited pharmacologically, circadian rhythms are disrupted. CK2 binds to PER2 in vivo, phosphorylates PER2 specifically at N-terminal residues in vitro, and supports normal nuclear PER2 accumulation. Mutation of CK2 phosphorylation sites decreases PER2 stability and copies CK2 inhibition regarding oscillation dynamics. We propose a new concept of how PER2 phosphorylation and stabilization can set the clock speed in opposite directions, dependent on the phase of action.

The phospho-occupancy of an atypical SLIMB-binding site on PERIOD that is phosphorylated by DOUBLETIME controls the pace of the clock

A common feature of animal circadian clocks is the progressive phosphorylation of PERIOD (PER) proteins, which is highly dependent on casein kinase Idelta/epsilon (CKIdelta/epsilon; termed DOUBLETIME [DBT] in Drosophila) and ultimately leads to the rapid degradation of hyperphosphorylated isoforms via a mechanism involving the F-box protein, beta-TrCP (SLIMB in Drosophila). Here we use the Drosophila melanogaster model system, and show that a key step in controlling the speed of the clock is phosphorylation of an N-terminal Ser (S47) by DBT, which collaborates with other nearby phosphorylated residues to generate a high-affinity atypical SLIMB-binding site on PER. DBT-dependent increases in the phospho-occupancy of S47 are temporally gated, dependent on the centrally located DBT docking site on PER and partially counterbalanced by protein phosphatase activity. We propose that the gradual DBT-mediated phosphorylation of a nonconsensus SLIMB-binding site establishes a temporal threshold for when in a daily cycle the majority of PER proteins are tagged for rapid degradation. Surprisingly, most of the hyperphosphorylation is unrelated to direct effects on PER stability. We also use mass spectrometry to map phosphorylation sites on PER, leading to the identification of a number of "phospho-clusters" that explain several of the classic per mutants.

Modeling an evolutionary conserved circadian cis-element

Circadian oscillator networks rely on a transcriptional activator called CLOCK/CYCLE (CLK/CYC) in insects and CLOCK/BMAL1 or NPAS2/BMAL1 in mammals. Identifying the targets of this heterodimeric basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor poses challenges and it has been difficult to decipher its specific sequence affinity beyond a canonical E-box motif, except perhaps for some flanking bases contributing weakly to the binding energy. Thus, no good computational model presently exists for predicting CLK/CYC, CLOCK/BMAL1, or NPAS2/BMAL1 targets. Here, we use a comparative genomics approach and first study the conservation properties of the best-known circadian enhancer: a 69-bp element upstream of the Drosophila melanogaster period gene. This fragment shows a signal involving the presence of two closely spaced E-box-like motifs, a configuration that we can also detect in the other four prominent CLK/CYC target genes in flies: timeless, vrille, Pdp1, and cwo. This allows for the training of a probabilistic sequence model that we test using functional genomics datasets. We find that the predicted sequences are overrepresented in promoters of genes induced in a recent study by a glucocorticoid receptor-CLK fusion protein. We then scanned the mouse genome with the fly model and found that many known CLOCK/BMAL1 targets harbor sequences matching our consensus. Moreover, the phase of predicted cyclers in liver agreed with known CLOCK/BMAL1 regulation. Taken together, we built a predictive model for CLK/CYC or CLOCK/BMAL1-bound cis-enhancers through the integration of comparative and functional genomics data. Finally, a deeper phylogenetic analysis reveals that the link between the CLOCK/BMAL1 complex and the circadian cis-element dates back to before insects and vertebrates diverged.

Dominant-negative CK2alpha induces potent effects on circadian rhythmicity

Circadian clocks organize the precise timing of cellular and behavioral events. In Drosophila, circadian clocks consist of negative feedback loops in which the clock component PERIOD (PER) represses its own transcription. PER phosphorylation is a critical step in timing the onset and termination of this feedback. The protein kinase CK2 has been linked to circadian timing, but the importance of this contribution is unclear; it is not certain where and when CK2 acts to regulate circadian rhythms. To determine its temporal and spatial functions, a dominant negative mutant of the catalytic alpha subunit, CK2α^Tik, was targeted to circadian neurons. Behaviorally, CK2α^Tik induces severe period lengthening (∼33 h), greater than nearly all known circadian mutant alleles, and abolishes detectable free-running behavioral rhythmicity at high levels of expression. CK2α^Tik, when targeted to a subset of pacemaker neurons, generates period splitting, resulting in flies exhibiting both long and near 24-h periods. These behavioral effects are evident even when CK2α^Tik expression is induced only during adulthood, implicating an acute role for CK2α function in circadian rhythms. CK2α^Tik expression results in reduced PER phosphorylation, delayed nuclear entry, and dampened cycling with elevated trough levels of PER. Heightened trough levels of per transcript accompany increased protein levels, suggesting that CK2α^Tik disturbs negative feedback of PER on its own transcription. Taken together, these in vivo data implicate a central role of CK2α function in timing PER negative feedback in adult circadian neurons.

The molecular mechanism that governs organization of physiology and behavior into 24-h rhythms is a conserved transcriptional feedback process that is strikingly similar across distinct phyla. Notably, cyclic phosphorylation of negative feedback regulators is critical to time molecular rhythms. Indeed, mutation of a putative phosphoacceptor site in the human PERIOD2 gene, a key negative regulator, is associated with Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome. This study reveals a critical role for the protein kinase CK2 for setting the period of behavioral and molecular oscillations in Drosophila. Circadian phenotypes due to CK2 disruption are due to a direct requirement in adult circadian pacemakers. These findings further demonstrate that CK2 modification of the negative feedback regulator PERIOD alters its cyclical phosphorylation, protein abundance, nuclear translocation, and transcriptional repression activity. These studies place CK2 as a central kinase in circadian timing.

Circadian clocks during embryonic and fetal development

Circadian rhythmicity is a fundamental characteristic of organisms, which helps ensure that vital functions occur in an appropriate and precise temporal sequence and in accordance with cyclic environmental changes. Living beings are endowed with a system of biological clocks that measure time on a 24-hr basis, termed the circadian timing system. In mammals, the system is organized as a master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, commanding peripheral clocks located in almost every tissue of the body. At the cell level, interlocking transcription/translation feedback loops of the genes Bmal-1, Clock, Per1-2, and Cry1-2, named clock genes, and their protein products results in circadian oscillation of clock genes and of genes involved in almost every cellular function. During gestation, the conceptus follows a complex and dynamic program by which it is simultaneously fit to develop and live in a circadian environment provided by its mother and to prepare for the very different environment that it will experience after birth. It has been known for a number of years that the mother tells the fetus the time of day and season of the year, and that the fetus uses this information to set the phase of fetal and neonatal circadian rhythms. There is evidence that the maternal rhythm of melatonin is one of the time signals to the fetus. In the last few years, the study of the development of the circadian system has turned to the investigation of the oscillatory expression of clock genes and their possible role in development, and to answering questions on the organization of the fetal circadian system. Emerging evidence shows that clock genes are expressed in the oocyte and during early and late development in embryo/fetal organs in the rat and in a fetal primate. The data available raise the intriguing possibility that the fetal SCN and fetal tissues may be peripheral clocks commanded by separate maternal signals. The rapid methodological and conceptual advances on chronobiology may help to unravel how the developing embryo and fetus faces time in this plastic period of life.

Circadian clock: time for a phase shift of ideas?

A recent study shows that cycling of cryptochrome proteins is dispensable for circadian clock function in mammalian cells. Is it time for a paradigm shift in how we think about the circadian clock mechanism?

An Inhibitor of Casein Kinase Iϵ Induces Phase Delays in Circadian Rhythms under Free-Running and Entrained Conditions

Casein kinase Iepsilon (CKIepsilon) is an essential component of the biological clock, phosphorylating PER proteins, and in doing so regulating their turnover and nuclear entry in oscillator cells of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Although hereditary decreases in PER phosphorylation have been well characterized, little is known about the consequences of acute enzyme inhibition by pharmacological means. A novel reagent, 4-[3-cyclohexyl-5-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-3H-imidazol-4-yl]-pyrimidin-2-ylamine (PF-670462), proved to be both a potent (IC(50) = 7.7 +/- 2.2 nM) and selective (>30-fold with respect to 42 additional kinases) inhibitor of CKIepsilon in isolated enzyme preparations; in transfected whole cell assays, it caused a concentration-related redistribution of nuclear versus cytosolic PER. When tested in free-running animals, 50 mg/kg s.c. PF-670462 produced robust phase delays when dosed at circadian time (CT)9 (-1.97 +/- 0.17 h). Entrained rats dosed in normal light-dark (LD) and then released to constant darkness also experienced phase delays that were dose- and time of dosing-dependent. PF-670462 yielded only phase delays across the circadian cycle with the most sensitive time at CT12 when PER levels are near their peak in the SCN. Most importantly, these drug-induced phase delays persisted in animals entrained and maintained in LD throughout the entire experiment; re-entrainment to the prevailing LD required days in contrast to the rapid elimination of the drug (t(1/2) = 0.46 +/- 0.04 h). Together, these results suggest that inhibition of CKIepsilon yields a perturbation of oscillator function that forestalls light as a zeitgeber, and they demonstrate that pharmacological tools such as PF-670462 may yield valuable insight into clock function.

Posttranslational photomodulation of circadian amplitude

The transcription-translation feedback loops that form our current view of how the core mechanism of the clock operates is being challenged, as more and more posttranslational events are seen as essential to a full understanding of oscillator function. But in addition to phosphorylation, other processes may be involved. Here, a novel mechanism of posttranslational photomodulation of circadian amplitude is described that uniquely ties together light perception, protein stabilization, and proteolysis. In the process, the waveform of a core clock component is sharpened or "sculpted," resulting in appropriately high amplitude and proper phasing to obtain normal clock function.