Two circadian oscillators in one cell.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29634015.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/362362a0.
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Abstract
A CIRCADIAN clock, which continues to oscillate in constant conditions, is almost ubiquitous in eukaryotes as well as some prokaryotes<sup>1</sup>. This class of biological oscillators drives daily rhythms as diverse as photosynthesis in plants<sup>2</sup> and the sleep-wake cycle in man<sup>3</sup> and enables organisms to anticipate environmental changes or segregate in time-incompatible processes<sup>4</sup>. Circadian oscillators share many properties, suggesting that the clock is a single mechanism, preserved throughout evolution, which is capable of controlling all the different circadian functions. Here we show that two rhythms in a unicellular organism can, under certain experimental conditions, run independently, and thus each rhythm must be controlled by its own distinct oscillator.