Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Plant Signal Behav. 2011 Jun;6(6):810-4. doi: 10.4161/psb.6.6.15171. Epub 2011 Jun 1.
Circadian rhythms are a universal way for organisms, ranging from prokaryotes to humans, to maintain coordination with the daily changes of light and temperature. It is known that a functional circadian clock confers enhanced fitness. In both animals and plants, diverse physiological processes are affected by the clock and more than 10% of transcripts show a circadian rhythm. Recent advances in the field have revealed a link between circadian regulated gene expression and dynamic changes in chromatin. Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-containing proteins have been shown to be involved in chromatin remodeling, acting as histone demethylases. The recent discovery that a JmjC-domain containing protein functions as a novel clock component suggests that histone modification has evolved as an important mechanism at the core of the circadian machinery.
昼夜节律是一种普遍存在的方式，使从原核生物到人类等生物体与光和温度的日常变化保持协调。已知功能正常的生物钟可赋予更好的适应性。在动物和植物中，多种生理过程都受到时钟的影响，超过 10%的转录本表现出昼夜节律。该领域的最新进展揭示了生物钟调节基因表达与染色质动态变化之间的联系。含有 JmjC 结构域的蛋白质已被证明参与染色质重塑，作为组蛋白去甲基酶。最近的发现表明，一种含有 JmjC 结构域的蛋白质作为一种新的时钟组成部分发挥作用，这表明组蛋白修饰已经进化成为生物钟核心的重要机制。
