CHANGES IN ABUNDANCE OR STRUCTURE OF THE PER GENE-PRODUCT CAN ALTER PERIODICITY OF THE DROSOPHILA CLOCK
CHANGES IN ABUNDANCE OR STRUCTURE OF THE PER GENE-PRODUCT CAN ALTER PERIODICITY OF THE DROSOPHILA CLOCK
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DOI:
10.1038/326390a0
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发表时间:
1987-03-26
期刊:
影响因子:
64.8
通讯作者:
YOUNG, MW
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
BAYLIES, MK;BARGIELLO, TA;YOUNG, MW
Theperiod(per) locus, which controls biological rhythms inDrosophila, was originally defined by three chemically induced mutations1. Flies carrying theper°mutation were arrhythmic, whereaspersandperlmutants had circadian behavioural rhythms with 19-hour and 29-hour periodicities, respectively1. Wild-type flies have 24-hour rhythms. Here we compare theperlocus DNA sequences of the three mutants with the parental wild-type. Thepersandperlmutations lead to amino-acid substitutions, whereasper°introduces an early translation stop (amber). The results indicate that the protein product ofpercontrols biological rhythms. We also report that the abundance of this protein may set the pace of theDrosophilaclock. Although circadian rhythms are restored when arrhythmic (per–)Drosophilaare transformed withperlocus DNA, flies receiving identical transforming DNA segments can produce rhythms with periods that differ by more than 12 hours. Transcription studies reveal a tenfold variation in the level ofperRNA among transformed lines. Levels ofperRNA are inversely correlated with period length, so that flies with lowest levels of theperproduct have slow-running biological clocks. On the basis of the combined studies we suggest thatperlandpersmutants produce hypoactive and hyperactiveperproteins, respectively.