Investigating the compartment-specific functions of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 in the central circadian clock of mice

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Most living organisms possess an intrinsic timekeeping mechanism, known as the circadian clock, that temporally organizes behavioural and physiological processes to near-24h cycles. The circadian clock oscillates in a self-sustaining fashion, but is able to reset its phase in response to light or other external time cues. This ability to synchronize (or entrain) behaviour and physiology to environmental light-dark cycles is vital for the principal function of the circadian clock: to serve as an internal predictor of external time, and in doing so to facilitate adaptation to environmental changes. In mammals, the central circadian pacemaker resides in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, which serves as the gateway through which light acts on the rest of the circadian timing system. Inter- as well as intra-cellular communication are essential for the proper functioning of the SCN clock.