Circadian regulation of olfaction and an evolutionarily conserved, nontranscriptional marker in Caenorhabditis elegans

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Dec 11;109(50):20479-84. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1211705109. Epub 2012 Nov 26.

Abstract

Circadian clocks provide a temporal structure to processes from gene expression to behavior in organisms from all phyla. Most clocks are synchronized to the environment by alternations of light and dark. However, many organisms experience only muted daily environmental cycles due to their lightless spatial niches (e.g., caves or soil). This has led to speculation that they may dispense with the daily clock. However, recent reports contradict this notion, showing various behavioral and molecular rhythms in Caenorhabditis elegans and in blind cave fish. Based on the ecology of nematodes, we applied low-amplitude temperature cycles to synchronize populations of animals through development. This entrainment regime reveals rhythms on multiple levels: in olfactory cued behavior, in RNA and protein abundance, and in the oxidation state of a broadly conserved peroxiredoxin protein. Our work links the nematode clock with that of other clock model systems; it also emphasizes the importance of daily rhythms in sensory functions that are likely to impact on organism fitness and population structure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology
  • Circadian Clocks / genetics*
  • Circadian Clocks / physiology*
  • Circadian Rhythm / genetics
  • Circadian Rhythm / physiology
  • Conserved Sequence
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases / genetics
  • G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases / physiology
  • Genes, Helminth
  • Genetic Markers
  • Models, Genetic
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peroxiredoxin III / genetics
  • Peroxiredoxin III / physiology
  • Peroxiredoxins / genetics
  • Peroxiredoxins / physiology
  • RNA, Helminth / genetics
  • RNA, Helminth / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Smell / genetics*
  • Smell / physiology*
  • Temperature
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / physiology

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Genetic Markers
  • LIN-42 protein, C elegans
  • RNA, Helminth
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Transcription Factors
  • PRDX-2 protein, C elegans
  • Peroxiredoxin III
  • Peroxiredoxins
  • G-Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases
  • GRK-2 protein, C elegans