RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Negative feedback defining a circadian clock: autoregulation of the clock gene frequency
JF Science
JO Science
FD American Association for the Advancement of Science
SP 1578
OP 1584
DO 10.1126/science.8128244
VO 263
IS 5153
A1 Aronson, BD
A1 Johnson, KA
A1 Loros, JJ
A1 Dunlap, JC
YR 1994
UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/263/5153/1578.abstract
AB The frequency (frq) locus of Neurospora crassa was originally identified in searches for loci encoding components of the circadian clock. The frq gene is now shown to encode a central component in a molecular feedback loop in which the product of frq negatively regulated its own transcript, which resulted in a daily oscillation in the amount of frq transcript. Rhythmic messenger RNA expression was essential for overt rhythmicity in the organism and no amount of constitutive expression rescued normal rhythmicity in frq loss-of-function mutants. Step reductions in the amount of FRQ-encoding transcript set the clock to a specific and predicted phase. These results establish frq as encoding a central component in a circadian oscillator.