Biochemical analysis of mammalian clock proteins

生物钟的基本特性，如温度补偿和非线性，还没有被理解。我们专注于时钟蛋白的分子特性，以阐明这些特性的分子机制。CKIε与PER-肽之间的相互作用根据PER-肽的磷酸化状态而改变。这些结果表明，与PERIOD的相互作用和CKIε的酶活性是决定哺乳动物昼夜节律钟基本特性的关键过程。

The fundamental properties of circadian clocks, such like temperature compensation and nonlinearity, has not been understood. We focus on molecular properties of clock proteins in order to elucidate molecular mechanisms for these properties. The interaction between CKIε and PER-peptide is altered in accordance with phosphorylation states of PER-peptide. These results suggest that the interaction with PERIOD and the enzymatic activity of CKIε are the key processes defining the fundamental properties of the mammalian circadian clock.