King D P, Takahashi J S
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2000;23:713-42. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.23.1.713.
Recent gene discovery approaches have led to a new era in our understanding of the molecular basis of circadian oscillators in animals. A conserved set of genes in Drosophila and mammals (Clock, Bmal1, Period, and Timeless) provide a molecular framework for the circadian mechanism. These genes define a transcription-translation-based negative autoregulatory feedback loop that comprises the core elements generating circadian rhythmicity. This circadian core provides a focal point for understanding how circadian rhythms arise, how environmental inputs entrain the oscillatory system, and how the circadian system regulates its outputs. The addition of molecular genetic approaches to the existing physiological understanding of the mammalian circadian system provides new opportunities for understanding this basic life process.
最近的基因发现方法开启了我们对动物昼夜节律振荡器分子基础理解的新时代。果蝇和哺乳动物中一组保守的基因（生物钟基因、脑和肌肉 ARNT 样蛋白 1、周期基因和无时间基因）为昼夜节律机制提供了分子框架。这些基因定义了一个基于转录 - 翻译的负向自动调节反馈回路，该回路包含产生昼夜节律的核心元件。这个昼夜节律核心为理解昼夜节律如何产生、环境输入如何使振荡系统同步以及昼夜节律系统如何调节其输出提供了一个焦点。将分子遗传学方法添加到对哺乳动物昼夜节律系统现有的生理学理解中，为理解这个基本生命过程提供了新的机会。
