Jolma IW, Laerum OD, Lillo C, Ruoff P. Circadian oscillators in eukaryotes.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2011;
2:533-549. [PMID:
20836046 DOI:
10.1002/wsbm.81]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The biological clock, present in nearly all eukaryotes, has evolved such that organisms can adapt to our planet's rotation in order to anticipate the coming day or night as well as unfavorable seasons. As all modern high-precision chronometers, the biological clock uses oscillation as a timekeeping element. In this review, we describe briefly the discovery, historical development, and general properties of circadian oscillators. The issue of temperature compensation (TC) is discussed, and our present understanding of the underlying genetic and biochemical mechanisms in circadian oscillators are described with special emphasis on Neurospora crassa, mammals, and plants.
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