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    Science. 1999 Oct 22;286(5440):768-71.

    Light-independent role of CRY1 and CRY2 in the mammalian circadian clock.

    Griffin EA Jr, Staknis D, Weitz CJ.

    Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA.

    Cryptochrome (CRY), a photoreceptor for the circadian clock in Drosophila, binds to the clock component TIM in a light-dependent fashion and blocks its function. In mammals, genetic evidence suggests a role for CRYs within the clock, distinct from hypothetical photoreceptor functions. Mammalian CRY1 and CRY2 are here shown to act as light-independent inhibitors of CLOCK-BMAL1, the activator driving Per1 transcription. CRY1 or CRY2 (or both) showed light-independent interactions with CLOCK and BMAL1, as well as with PER1, PER2, and TIM. Thus, mammalian CRYs act as light-independent components of the circadian clock and probably regulate Per1 transcriptional cycling by contacting both the activator and its feedback inhibitors.

    PMID: 10531061 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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