Circadian Rhythms

About this book

Our daily routines and physiological functions – and those of virtually all living organisms – are synchronized with the Earth's rotation about its axis. These include sleep patterns, hormone secretion, blood pressure, body temperature, and feeding behavior. Oscillations in these processes, or circadian rhythms, are controlled by molecular feedback loops that integrate with environmental and metabolic stimuli.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines the molecular and cellular details of the oscillatory machinery and how they control aspects of our physiology. Contributors discuss the cell-autonomous generation of circadian time and how those mechanisms interact with circuit-level mechanisms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Links between circadian and redox systems, as well as the relationship between circadian oscillations and pathogenic infections, are also covered.

In addition, the authors examine circadian rhythms in other species (e.g., plants and Drosophila) and how they enable the organisms to adapt to their environments. Circadian Rhythms will therefore serve as a valuable reference for not only neurobiologists and cell and molecular biologists, but all who wish to understand the clocks and rhythms of life.

Contents

Preface

Introduction to Chronobiology
    Sandra J. Kuhlman, L. Michon Craig, and Jeanne F. Duffy
Cellular Timekeeping: It’s Redox o’Clock
    Nikolay B. Milev, Sue-Goo Rhee, and Akhilesh B. Reddy
Regulating the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) Circadian Clockwork: Interplay between Cell-Autonomous and Circuit-Level Mechanisms
    Erik D. Herzog, Tracey Hermanstyne, Nicola J. Smyllie, and Michael H. Hastings
Membrane Currents, Gene Expression, and Circadian Clocks
    Charles N. Allen, Michael N. Nitabach, and Christopher S. Colwell
Molecular Mechanisms of Sleep Homeostasis in Flies and Mammals
    Ravi Allada, Chiara Cirelli, and Amita Sehgal
The Plant Circadian Clock: From a Simple Timekeeper to a Complex Developmental Manager
    Sabrina E. Sanchez and Steve A. Kay
Design Principles of Phosphorylation-Dependent Timekeeping in Eukaryotic Circadian Clocks
    Koji L. Ode and Hiroki R. Ueda
Systems Chronobiology: Global Analysis of Gene Regulation in a 24-Hour Periodic World
    Jérôme Mermet, Jake Yeung, and Felix Naef
Circadian Posttranscriptional Regulatory Mechanisms in Mammals
    Carla B. Green
Coordination between Differentially Regulated Circadian Clocks Generates Rhythmic Behavior
    Deniz Top and Michael W. Young
Interplay between Microbes and the Circadian Clock
    Paola Tognini, Mari Murakami, and Paolo Sassone-Corsi
A 50-Year Personal Journey: Location, Gene Expression, and Circadian Rhythms
    Michael Rosbash

Index

Customer Reviews