PUBLICATION
A Blind Circadian Clock in Cavefish Reveals that Opsins Mediate Peripheral Clock Photoreception
- Authors
- Cavallari, N., Frigato, E., Vallone, D., Fröhlich, N., Lopez-Olmeda, J.F., Foà, A., Berti, R., Sánchez-Vázquez, F.J., Bertolucci, C., and Foulkes, N.S.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-110920-9
- Date
- 2011
- Source
- PLoS Biology 9(9): e1001142 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Bertolucci, Cristiano, Foulkes, Nicholas-Simon, Frigato, Elena, Lopez-Olmeda, Jose Fernando, Vallone, Daniela
- Keywords
- Zebrafish, Gene expression, Circadian rhythms, Photoreceptors, Light pulses, Complementary DNA, Circadian oscillators, Vertebrates
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Cell Line
- Circadian Clocks/physiology*
- Circadian Rhythm/physiology*
- Feeding Behavior
- Gene Expression
- Opsins/genetics
- Opsins/metabolism*
- Photic Stimulation
- Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/physiology*
- Rod Opsins/genetics
- Rod Opsins/metabolism
- Zebrafish/physiology*
- PubMed
- 21909239 Full text @ PLoS Biol.
Citation
Cavallari, N., Frigato, E., Vallone, D., Fröhlich, N., Lopez-Olmeda, J.F., Foà, A., Berti, R., Sánchez-Vázquez, F.J., Bertolucci, C., and Foulkes, N.S. (2011) A Blind Circadian Clock in Cavefish Reveals that Opsins Mediate Peripheral Clock Photoreception. PLoS Biology. 9(9):e1001142.
Abstract
The circadian clock is synchronized with the day-night cycle primarily by light. Fish represent fascinating models for deciphering the light input pathway to the vertebrate clock since fish cell clocks are regulated by direct light exposure. Here we have performed a comparative, functional analysis of the circadian clock involving the zebrafish that is normally exposed to the day-night cycle and a cavefish species that has evolved in perpetual darkness. Our results reveal that the cavefish retains a food-entrainable clock that oscillates with an infradian period. Importantly, however, this clock is not regulated by light. This comparative study pinpoints the two extra-retinal photoreceptors Melanopsin (Opn4m2) and TMT-opsin as essential upstream elements of the peripheral clock light input pathway.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping