The molecular clocks intertwined with cellular physiology regulate daily cycles. In plants, these circadian rhythms affect processes as diverse as carbon metabolism and leaf orientation. Huang et al. have now analyzed the interactions driven by a key element of the circadian clock in plants, TOC1 (“TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1”). TOC1 helps to coordinate responses of the morning and evening cycles, functioning to repress activity of other clock components.
W. Huang, P. Pérez-García, A. Pokhilko, A. J. Millar, I. Antoshechkin, J. L. Riechmann, P. Mas, Mapping the core of the Arabidopsis circadian clock defines the network structure of the oscillator. Science 336, 75–79 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]