Hierarchical organization of the network of genes controlled by the circadian clock of Neurospora

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Circadian clocks coordinate expression of large networks of genes in a timeof- day specific manner and are thus crucial for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. The White Collar Complex (WCC) is the central transcription regulator of the circadian clock of Neurospora. It may directly or indirectly modulate expression of more than 1000 clock-controlled genes. The vast majority of these genes are not known. We aim to identify WCC-activated genes by a genome-wide analysis of WCC binding sites. Using ChIP in combination with high-throughput sequencing we have identified more than 250 likely direct target genes of the WCC. Selected candidate genes are validated by various independent methods, including ChIP RT-PCR and reporter assays. Furthermore, gene products will be characterized and phenotypes of corresponding knockout strains will be analyzed. To unravel the hierarchical network of clock-controlled genes the analysis of WCCdependent genes encoding transcriptional regulators and genome wide analysis of their target genes are of particular interest.