Identification of a novel vertebrate circadian clock-regulated gene encoding the protein nocturnin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996 Dec 10;93(25):14884-8
Date
12/10/1996Pubmed ID
8962150Pubmed Central ID
PMC26231DOI
10.1073/pnas.93.25.14884Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0029856174 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 128 CitationsAbstract
Photoreceptors of the Xenopus laevis retina are the site of a circadian clock. As part of a differential display screen for rhythmic gene products in this system, we have identified a photoreceptor-specific mRNA expressed in peak abundance at night. cDNA cloning revealed an open reading frame encoding a putative 388 amino acid protein that we have named "nocturnin" (for night-factor). This protein has strong sequence similarity to the C-terminal domain of the yeast transcription factor, CCR4, as well as a leucine zipper-like dimerization motif. Nocturnin mRNA levels exhibit a high amplitude circadian rhythm and nuclear run-on analysis indicates that it is controlled by the retinal circadian clock at the level of transcription. Our observations suggest that nocturnin may function through protein-protein interaction either as a component of the circadian clock or as a downstream effector of clock function.
Author List
Green CB, Besharse JCAuthor
Joseph C. Besharse PhD, MA Emeritus Professor in the Cell Biology Neurobiology and Anatomy department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Amino Acid SequenceAnimals
Circadian Rhythm
Cloning, Molecular
Genes
Molecular Sequence Data
Nuclear Proteins
Proteins
Sequence Alignment
Transcription Factors
Vertebrates
Xenopus
