[HTML][HTML] RIGUI, a putative mammalian ortholog of the Drosophila period gene

ZS Sun, U Albrecht, O Zhuchenko, J Bailey, G Eichele… - Cell, 1997 - cell.com
ZS Sun, U Albrecht, O Zhuchenko, J Bailey, G Eichele, CC Lee
Cell, 1997cell.com
The molecular components of mammalian circadian clocks are elusive. We have isolated a
human gene termed RIGUI that encodes a bHLH/PAS protein 44% homologous to
Drosophila period. The highly conserved mouse homolog (m-rigui) is expressed in a
circadian pattern in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master regulator of circadian
clocks in mammals. Circadian expression in the SCN continues in constant darkness, and a
shift in the light/dark cycle evokes a proportional shift of m-rigui expression in the SCN. m …
Abstract
The molecular components of mammalian circadian clocks are elusive. We have isolated a human gene termed RIGUI that encodes a bHLH/PAS protein 44% homologous to Drosophila period. The highly conserved mouse homolog (m-rigui) is expressed in a circadian pattern in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master regulator of circadian clocks in mammals. Circadian expression in the SCN continues in constant darkness, and a shift in the light/dark cycle evokes a proportional shift of m-rigui expression in the SCN. m-rigui transcripts also appear in a periodic pattern in Purkinje neurons, pars tuberalis, and retina, but with a timing of oscillation different from that seen in the SCN. Sequence homology and circadian patterns of expression suggest that RIGUI is a mammalian ortholog of the Drosophila period gene, raising the possibility that a regulator of circadian clocks is conserved.
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