A circadian clock in a nonphotosynthetic prokaryote
Zheng Eelderink-Chen, Jasper Bosman, Francesca Sartor, Antony N. Dodd, Ákos T. Kovács, Martha Merrow
Abstract
can be synchronized in 24-hour light or temperature cycles and exhibit phase-specific characteristics of entrainment. Upon release to constant dark and temperature conditions, bacterial biofilm populations have temperature-compensated free-running oscillations with a period close to 24 hours. Our work opens the field of circadian clocks in the free-living, nonphotosynthetic prokaryotes, bringing considerable potential for impact upon biomedicine, ecology, and industrial processes.
Topics & Concepts
ProkaryoteCircadian clockCircadian rhythmBiological clockEnvironmental scienceBiologyNeuroscienceGeneticsBacteriaLight effects on plantsProtist diversity and phylogenyPhotoreceptor and optogenetics research