Circadian phase in cells and humans – Achim Kramer

Abstract:

Circadian clocks in cells and humans are heterogeneous in period and phase. This heterogeneity can be exploited not only to gain insight into the molecular basis of circadian rhythms, but also to explore plasticity and robustness. In this talk, I will report on two ongoing projects in the lab: (i) We are exploiting the heterogeneity of cells in both circadian period and a metabolic parameter – protein stability – to study their interdependence without the need for genetic manipulation. We have generated cells expressing key circadian proteins (CRYPTOCHROME1/2 (CRY1/2) and PERIOD1/2 (PER1/2)) as endogenous fusions with fluorescent proteins and are simultaneously monitoring circadian rhythm and degradation in thousands of single cells. (ii) We are developing molecular biomarkers of human circadian characteristics that will allow an objective description of the epidemiology of the human circadian clock and an assessment of its robustness and plasticity.