Bedont Joseph L, Blackshaw Seth
Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA ; Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA ; Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA ; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA ; Center for High-Throughput Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA.
Front Syst Neurosci. 2015 May 8;9:74. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00074. eCollection 2015.
The circadian system constrains an organism's palette of behaviors to portions of the solar day appropriate to its ecological niche. The central light-entrained clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the mammalian circadian system has evolved a complex network of interdependent signaling mechanisms linking multiple distinct oscillators to serve this crucial function. However, studies of the mechanisms controlling SCN development have greatly lagged behind our understanding of its physiological functions. We review advances in the understanding of adult SCN function, what has been described about SCN development to date, and the potential of both current and future studies of SCN development to yield important insights into master clock function, dysfunction, and evolution.
昼夜节律系统将生物体的行为模式限制在适合其生态位的太阳日的特定时段。哺乳动物昼夜节律系统视交叉上核（SCN）中的中央光驱动时钟已经进化出一个相互依存的信号机制复杂网络，该网络将多个不同的振荡器连接起来以发挥这一关键功能。然而，对控制SCN发育机制的研究远远落后于我们对其生理功能的理解。我们综述了对成年SCN功能的理解进展、迄今为止关于SCN发育的描述，以及当前和未来SCN发育研究在深入了解主时钟功能、功能障碍和进化方面产生重要见解的潜力。
