Emery P, So W V, Kaneko M, Hall J C, Rosbash M
Department of Biology, Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA.
Cell. 1998 Nov 25;95(5):669-79. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81637-2.
Light is a major environmental signal for circadian rhythms. We have identified and analyzed cry, a novel Drosophila cryptochrome gene. All characterized family members are directly photosensitive and include plant blue light photoreceptors. We show that cry transcription is under circadian regulation, influenced by the Drosophila clock genes period, timeless, Clock, and cycle. We also show that cry protein levels are dramatically affected by light exposure. Importantly, circadian photosensitivity is increased in a cry-overexpressing strain. These physiological and genetic data therefore link a specific photoreceptor molecule to circadian rhythmicity. Taken together with the data in the accompanying paper, we propose that CRY is a major Drosophila photoreceptor dedicated to the resetting of circadian rhythms.
光对于昼夜节律而言是一种主要的环境信号。我们已经鉴定并分析了cry，一个新的果蝇隐花色素基因。所有已被表征的家族成员都具有直接的光敏感性，并且包括植物蓝光光感受器。我们发现cry转录受昼夜节律调控，受果蝇生物钟基因周期基因（period）、无时间基因（timeless）、钟基因（Clock）和周期基因（cycle）影响。我们还发现cry蛋白水平受光照的显著影响。重要的是，在一个cry过表达菌株中，昼夜光敏感性增强。因此，这些生理学和遗传学数据将一种特定的光感受器分子与昼夜节律联系起来。结合随附论文中的数据，我们提出CRY是一种主要的果蝇光感受器，专门用于重置昼夜节律。
