Revving Up the Circadian Clock

doi:10.1126/stke.3232006tw73

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Sci. STKE, 21 February 2006
Vol. 2006, Issue 323, p. tw73
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.3232006tw73]

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CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS Revving Up the Circadian Clock

In mammals, circadian rhythms regulate many aspects of behavior and physiology, including sleep-wake cycles and metabolism. Disruption of these rhythms is associated with certain psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder. Yin et al. describe a potential molecular link between circadian clock control and bipolar disorder. In cultured fibroblasts, a key negative regulator of clock gene expression, the Rev-erb ${alpha}$ nuclear receptor, was rapidly degraded after exposure to lithium, which is used in treating bipolar disorder. This destabilization of Rev-erb ${alpha}$ led to activation of clock genes.

L. Yin, J. Wang, P. S. Klein, M. A. Lazar, Nuclear receptor Rev-erb ${alpha}$ is a critical lithium-sensitive component of the circadian clock. Science 311, 1002-1005 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: Revving Up the Circadian Clock. Sci. STKE 2006, tw73 (2006).