Spangler Rebecca K, Jonnalagadda Keya, Ward Jordan D, Partch Carrie L
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
Trends Biochem Sci. 2025 Apr;50(4):344-355. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2025.01.006. Epub 2025 Feb 13.
Biological timing mechanisms are intrinsic to all organisms, orchestrating the temporal coordination of biological events through complex genetic networks. Circadian rhythms and developmental timers utilize distinct timekeeping mechanisms. This review summarizes the molecular basis for circadian rhythms in mammals and Drosophila, and recent work leveraging these clocks to understand temporal regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans development. We describe the evolutionary connections between distinct timing mechanisms and discuss recent insights into the rewiring of core clock components in development. By integrating findings from circadian and developmental studies with biochemical and structural analyses of conserved components, we aim to illuminate the molecular basis of nematode timing mechanisms and highlight broader insights into biological timing across species.
生物计时机制是所有生物体所固有的，通过复杂的基因网络协调生物事件的时间安排。昼夜节律和发育定时器利用不同的计时机制。本综述总结了哺乳动物和果蝇昼夜节律的分子基础，以及最近利用这些生物钟来理解秀丽隐杆线虫发育过程中时间调控的研究工作。我们描述了不同计时机制之间的进化联系，并讨论了对发育过程中核心生物钟组件重新布线的最新见解。通过将昼夜节律和发育研究的结果与保守组件的生化和结构分析相结合，我们旨在阐明线虫计时机制的分子基础，并突出对跨物种生物计时的更广泛见解。
