Photoreceptors Regulating Circadian Behavior: A Mouse Model

生命系统的一个中心特性是节律性的周期性 活动，特别是昼夜节律，即每天的周期。 目前尚不清楚是什么机制携带和调节 这些振荡的发生和定时。 主 昼夜节律的环境信号是光的变化 强度与黎明和黄昏，但“昼夜节律” 介导这些反应的“光感受器”仍然很差， 明白 这个项目是试点工作，试图获得有关这方面的信息， 通过使用一种新的标记技术， 在大脑中。 该标记将允许可视化电路 连接着接受重要光刺激的细胞 调节昼夜节律的大脑细胞。 一种特殊的突变小鼠被发现丢失了 眼睛中的关键细胞成分，但仍然显示出一种 驱动节奏 该突变体中的途径将与 在正常小鼠中， 大脑 如果这种新颖的标记技术能够发挥作用 这个结果对视觉科学非常重要， 时间生物学和神经科学。

A central property of living systems is rhythmic periodic activity, particularly circadian rhythms which are daily cycles. It is not yet clear what mechanisms entrain and regulate the occurrence and timing of these oscillations. The primary environmental signal for circadian rhythms is the change in light intensity associated with dawn and dusk, but the "circadian photoreceptors" that mediate these responses are still poorly understood. This project is pilot work to try to get information on this mechanism by using a new marking technique that labels pathways in the brain. This marker will allow visualizing the circuit that connects the cells that receive the important light stimulus to the cells in the brain that regulate the circadian rhythm. One particular strain of mutant mice has been found to be missing key cellular elements in the eye, yet still showing a photically driven rhythm. The pathway in this mutant will be compared to that in normal mice to clarify how the light information gets to the brain. If this novel marking technique can be made to work well, the results will be very important to visual science, chronobiology, and neuroscience in general.