Chemical control of PER2-CRY1 heterodimerization: impact on circadian oscillations (A17)

• Subject Area: Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology
• Term: since 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278001972

Circadian clocks are ~24 hr oscillators present in essentially every mammalian cell. Circadian clocks are synchronized to the environment but also within an organism by various rhythmic input signals (Zeitgebers) ensuring temporal coordination of physiological outputs. Building on the results from the first funding period of TRR186, we aim (i) to further characterize a key molecular switch (i.e. the interaction of PER2 and CRY1) with a particular focus on the mechanism of redox regulation. As a next conceptual step, we will (ii) study the role and mechanisms of various other important Zeitgebers beyond redox, thereby likely revealing key principles of “network switching”.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 186: Molecular Switches: Spatio-temporal Control of Cellular Signal Transmission
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Hanspeter Herzel; Professor Dr. Achim Kramer