Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A circadian rhythm (/ s ər ˈ k eɪ d i ə n /), or circadian cycle, is a natural oscillation that repeats roughly every 24 hours.Circadian rhythms can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to the environment (is entrained by the environment).
First, it results in daily rhythms in both gene transcription and protein abundance and size, caused by the delay between translation and negative regulation of the gene. The cycle's period, or time required to complete one cycle, remains consistent in each individual and, barring mutation, is typically near 24 hours.
In most vertebrates, exposure to light sets off a chain reaction of enzymatic events within the pineal gland that regulates circadian rhythms. [64] In humans and other mammals, the light signals necessary to set circadian rhythms are sent from the eye through the retinohypothalamic system to the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and the pineal gland.
Lim-1 (Lhx1) functions as a transcription factor necessary for regulating the production of coupling factors required for proper communication between the neurons located in the part of the brain responsible for regulation of circadian rhythms called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). [15]
The best studied rhythm in chronobiology is the circadian rhythm, a roughly 24-hour cycle shown by physiological processes in all these organisms. The term circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning "around" and dies, "day", meaning "approximately a day." It is regulated by circadian clocks.
The Rev-Erb proteins are members of the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily of intracellular transcription factors and key regulatory components of the circadian clock. There are two forms of the receptor, Rev-Erb alpha and Rev-Erb beta, which are each encoded by a separate gene (NR1D1 and NR1D2, respectively). [1] [2]
Basic helix-loop-helix ARNT-like protein 1, or more commonly known as Bmal1, encodes for a transcriptional factor that when it heterodimerizes with Clock and Npas2 proteins, regulates gene expression for circadian rhythms via E-box elements. [53] It dictates the timing of different physiological process by synchronizing them to environmental cues.
Jet lag occurs when one’s circadian rhythm is out of sync with the environment, and this is usually caused by travel across time zones. People with jet lag experience symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, headaches, etc. Light therapy has been hypothesized to help mitigate these symptoms.