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Post‐transcriptional regulation contributes to Drosophila clock gene mRNA cycling
Author(s) -
So W.Venus,
Rosbash Michael
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/16.23.7146
Subject(s) - biology , gene , drosophila (subgenus) , cycling , regulation of gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , clock , drosophila melanogaster , genetics , gene expression , messenger rna , evolutionary biology , history , archaeology
The period ( per ) and timeless ( tim ) genes are intimately involved in the generation and maintenance of Drosophila circadian rhythms. Both genes are expressed in a circadian manner, and the two proteins (PER and TIM) participate in feedback regulation which contributes to the mRNA oscillations. Previous studies indicate that the circadian regulation is in part transcriptional. To investigate quantitative features of per and tim transcription, we analyzed the in vivo transcription rate in fly‐head nuclei with a nuclear run‐on assay. The results show a robust transcriptional regulation, which is similar but not identical for the two genes. In addition, per mRNA levels are regulated at a post‐transcriptional level. This regulatory mode makes a major contribution to the per mRNA oscillations from a previously described per transgenic strain as well as to the mRNA oscillations of a recently identified Drosophila circadianly regulated gene ( Crg‐1 ). The data show that circadian mRNA oscillations can take place without evident transcriptional regulation.