Identification of novel clock-controlled genes by cDNA macroarray analysis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Circadian Proteomics Reassesses the Temporal Regulation of Metabolic Rhythms by Chlamydomonas Clock

Circadian clocks execute temporal regulation of metabolism by modulating the timely expression of genes. Clock regulation of mRNA synthesis was envisioned as the primary driver of these daily rhythms. mRNA oscillations often do not concur with the downstream protein oscillations, revealing the importance to study protein oscillations. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a well-studied miniature plant model. We quantitatively probed the Chlamydomonas proteome for two subsequent circadian cycles using high throughput SWATH-DIA mass spectrometry. We quantified > 1000 proteins, half of which demonstrate circadian rhythms. Among these rhythmic proteins, > 90% peak around subjective midday or midnight. We uncovered key enzymes involved in Box C/D pathway, amino acid biosynthesis, fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis and peroxisomal β-oxidation of FAs are driven by the clock, which were undocumented from earlier transcriptomic studies. Proteins associated with key biological processes such as photosynthesis, redox, carbon fixation, glycolysis and TCA cycle show extreme temporal regulation. We conclude that circadian proteomics is required to complement transcriptomic studies to understand the complex clock regulation of organismal biology. We believe our study will not only refine and enrich the evaluation of temporal metabolic processes in C. reinhardtii but also provide a novel understanding of clock regulation across species.

An undiscovered circadian clock to regulate phytoplankton photosynthesis

Circadian clocks exist in all types of organisms and coordinate key biological processes, e.g. photosynthesis in phytoplankton (microalgae) and land plants. We asked whether a circadian rhythm sustains in phytoplankton when living under constant illumination without environmental cues. Here, we report the first transcriptomic architecture of persistent oscillatory gene expression in the model marine diatom, Phaeodactylum tricornutum living under constant illumination and temperature without environmental cues. We show that cyclic expression of a considerable number of genes involved in light harvesting and carbon fixation sustained after 24 h of constant illumination (free-running), which could pose additional constraints on cell growth under constant light conditions. Over long-term adaptation to constant illumination, the majority of the rhythmic genes identified under diel light conditions lose their oscillatory expression in the absence of external entrainers, and the genes potentially controlled by persistent circadian clocks are primarily involved in transcriptional regulation and cell division. We find constant illumination leads to an increased average expression of transcription factors and cell division genes, while genes involved in the Calvin-Benson cycle and pigment biosynthesis are kept at low expression levels, which plays a role in the down-regulation of photosynthetic efficiency. By manipulation of the dark rest period, we confirm a fine-tuned light/dark cycle could dramatically improve photosynthetic efficiency in microalgae. Our results unveil a novel persistent circadian rhythm on photosynthetic regulation in marine phytoplankton and provide critical insights into the interaction between environmental signals and inheritable internal circadian clocks in diatoms.

Responses of the picoprasinophyte Micromonas commoda to light and ultraviolet stress

Micromonas is a unicellular marine green alga that thrives from tropical to polar ecosystems. We investigated the growth and cellular characteristics of acclimated mid-exponential phase Micromonas commoda RCC299 over multiple light levels and over the diel cycle (14:10 hour light:dark). We also exposed the light:dark acclimated M. commoda to experimental shifts from moderate to high light (HL), and to HL plus ultraviolet radiation (HL+UV), 4.5 hours into the light period. Cellular responses of this prasinophyte were quantified by flow cytometry and changes in gene expression by qPCR and RNA-seq. While proxies for chlorophyll a content and cell size exhibited similar diel variations in HL and controls, with progressive increases during day and decreases at night, both parameters sharply decreased after the HL+UV shift. Two distinct transcriptional responses were observed among chloroplast genes in the light shift experiments: i) expression of transcription and translation-related genes decreased over the time course, and this transition occurred earlier in treatments than controls; ii) expression of several photosystem I and II genes increased in HL relative to controls, as did the growth rate within the same diel period. However, expression of these genes decreased in HL+UV, likely as a photoprotective mechanism. RNA-seq also revealed two genes in the chloroplast genome, ycf2-like and ycf1-like, that had not previously been reported. The latter encodes the second largest chloroplast protein in Micromonas and has weak homology to plant Ycf1, an essential component of the plant protein translocon. Analysis of several nuclear genes showed that the expression of LHCSR2, which is involved in non-photochemical quenching, and five light-harvesting-like genes, increased 30 to >50-fold in HL+UV, but was largely unchanged in HL and controls. Under HL alone, a gene encoding a novel nitrite reductase fusion protein (NIRFU) increased, possibly reflecting enhanced N-assimilation under the 625 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1 supplied in the HL treatment. NIRFU’s domain structure suggests it may have more efficient electron transfer than plant NIR proteins. Our analyses indicate that Micromonas can readily respond to abrupt environmental changes, such that strong photoinhibition was provoked by combined exposure to HL and UV, but a ca. 6-fold increase in light was stimulatory.

Diurnal Transcriptional Regulation of Endosymbiotically Derived Genes in the Chlorarachniophyte Bigelowiella natans

Chlorarachniophyte algae possess complex plastids acquired by the secondary endosymbiosis of a green alga, and the plastids harbor a relict nucleus of the endosymbiont, the so-called nucleomorph. Due to massive gene transfer from the endosymbiont to the host, many proteins involved in plastid and nucleomorph are encoded by the nuclear genome. Genome sequences have provided a blueprint for the fate of endosymbiotically derived genes; however, transcriptional regulation of these genes remains poorly understood. To gain insight into the evolution of endosymbiotic genes, we performed genome-wide transcript profiling along the cell cycle of the chlorarachniophyte Bigelowiella natans, synchronized by light and dark cycles. Our comparative analyses demonstrated that transcript levels of 7,751 nuclear genes (35.7% of 21,706 genes) significantly oscillated along the diurnal/cell cycles, and those included 780 and 147 genes for putative plastid and nucleomorph-targeted proteins, respectively. Clustering analysis of those genes revealed the existence of transcriptional networks related to specific biological processes such as photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, translation, and DNA replication. Interestingly, transcripts of many plastid-targeted proteins in B. natans were induced before dawn, unlike other photosynthetic organisms. In contrast to nuclear genes, 99% nucleomorph genes were found to be constitutively expressed during the cycles. We also found that the nucleomorph DNA replication would be controlled by a nucleus-encoded viral-like DNA polymerase. The results of this study suggest that nucleomorph genes have lost transcriptional regulation along the diurnal cycles, and nuclear genes exert control over the complex plastid including the nucleomorph.

Prevalence, evolution, and cis-regulation of diel transcription in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Endogenous (circadian) and exogenous (e.g., diel) biological rhythms are a prominent feature of many living systems. In green algal species, knowledge of the extent of diel rhythmicity of genome-wide gene expression, its evolution, and its cis-regulatory mechanism is limited. In this study, we identified cyclically expressed genes under diel conditions in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and found that ~50% of the 17,114 annotated genes exhibited cyclic expression. These cyclic expression patterns indicate a clear succession of biological processes during the course of a day. Among 237 functional categories enriched in cyclically expressed genes, >90% were phase-specific, including photosynthesis, cell division, and motility-related processes. By contrasting cyclic expression between C. reinhardtii and Arabidopsis thaliana putative orthologs, we found significant but weak conservation in cyclic gene expression patterns. On the other hand, within C. reinhardtii cyclic expression was preferentially maintained between duplicates, and the evolution of phase between paralogs is limited to relatively minor time shifts. Finally, to better understand the cis regulatory basis of diel expression, putative cis-regulatory elements were identified that could predict the expression phase of a subset of the cyclic transcriptome. Our findings demonstrate both the prevalence of cycling genes as well as the complex regulatory circuitry required to control cyclic expression in a green algal model, highlighting the need to consider diel expression in studying algal molecular networks and in future biotechnological applications.

Effects of light and circadian clock on growth and chlorophyll accumulation of Nannochloropsis gaditana

Circadian clocks synchronize various physiological, metabolic and developmental processes of organisms with specific phases of recurring changes in their environment (e.g. day and night or seasons). Here, we investigated whether the circadian clock plays a role in regulation of growth and chlorophyll (Chl) accumulation in Nannochloropsis gaditana, an oleaginous marine microalga which is considered as a potential feedstock for biofuels and for which a draft genome sequence has been published. Optical density (OD) of N. gaditana culture was monitored at 680 and 735 nm under 12:12 h or 18:6 h light-dark (LD) cycles and after switching to continuous illumination in photobioreactors. In parallel, Chl fluorescence was measured to assess the quantum yield of photosystem II. Furthermore, to test if red- or blue-light photoreceptors are involved in clock entrainment in N. gaditana, some of the experiments were conducted by using only red or blue light. Growth and Chl accumulation were confined to light periods in the LD cycles, increasing more strongly in the first half than in the second half of the light periods. After switching to continuous light, rhythmic oscillations continued (especially for OD680 ) at least in the first 24 h, with a 50% decrease in the capacity to grow and accumulate Chl during the first subjective night. Pronounced free-running oscillations were induced by blue light, but not by red light. In contrast, the photosystem II quantum yield was determined by light conditions. The results indicate interactions between circadian and light regulation of growth and Chl accumulation in N. gaditana.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain CC-124 is highly sensitive to blue light in addition to green and red light in resetting its circadian clock, with the blue-light photoreceptor plant cryptochrome likely acting as negative modulator

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has long served as model organism for studies on the circadian clock. This clock is present in all eukaryotes and some prokaryotes allowing them to anticipate and take advantage of the daily oscillations in the environment. Although much is known about the circadian clock in C. reinhardtii, the photoreceptors mediating entrainment of the clock to the daily changes of light remain obscure. Based on its circadian rhythm of phototaxis as a reporter of the clock's phase, we show here that C. reinhardtii strain CC-124 is highly sensitive to blue light of 440 nm when resetting its circadian clock upon light pulses. Thus, CC-124 differs in this respect from what was previously reported for a cell wall-deficient strain. An action spectrum analysis revealed that CC-124 also responds with high sensitivity to green (540 nm), red (640-660 nm), and possibly UV-A (≤400 nm) light, and therefore shows similarities as well to what has been reported for the cell wall-deficient strain. We also investigated two RNA interference strains with reductions in the level of the blue light photoreceptor plant cryptochrome (CPH1). One of them, the strain with the greater reduction, surprisingly showed an increased sensitivity in clock resetting upon blue light pulses of 440 nm. This increase in sensitivity reverted to wild-type levels when the RNA interference strain reverted to wild-type protein levels. It suggests that plant cryptochrome in C. reinhardtii could function as negative rather than positive modulator of circadian clock resetting.

Protein disulfide isomerase 2 of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is involved in circadian rhythm regulation

Protein disulfide isomerases (PDIs) are known to play important roles in the folding of nascent proteins and in the formation of disulfide bonds. Recently, we identified a PDI from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CrPDI2) by a mass spectrometry approach that is specifically enriched by heparin affinity chromatography in samples taken during the night phase. Here, we show that the recombinant CrPDI2 is a redox-active protein. It is reduced by thioredoxin reductase and catalyzes itself the reduction of insulin chains and the oxidative refolding of scrambled RNase A. By immunoblots, we confirm a high-amplitude change in abundance of the heparin-bound CrPDI2 during subjective night. Interestingly, we find that CrPDI2 is present in protein complexes of different sizes at both day and night. Among three identified interaction partners, one (a 2-cys peroxiredoxin) is present only during the night phase. To study a potential function of CrPDI2 within the circadian system, we have overexpressed its gene. Two transgenic lines were used to measure the rhythm of phototaxis. In the transgenic strains, a change in the acrophase was observed. This indicates that CrPDI2 is involved in the circadian signaling pathway and, together with the night phase-specific interaction of CrPDI2 and a peroxiredoxin, these findings suggest a close coupling of redox processes and the circadian clock in C. reinhardtii.

Beyond Arabidopsis: the circadian clock in non-model plant species

Circadian clocks allow plants to temporally coordinate many aspects of their biology with the diurnal cycle derived from the rotation of Earth on its axis. Although there is a rich history of the study of clocks in many plant species, in recent years much progress in elucidating the architecture and function of the plant clock has emerged from studies of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. There is considerable interest in extending this knowledge of the circadian clock into diverse plant species in order to address its role in topics as varied as agricultural productivity and the responses of individual species and plant communities to global climate change and environmental degradation. The analysis of circadian clocks in the green lineage provides insight into evolutionary processes in plants and throughout the eukaryotes.

Distinct mechanisms regulating gene expression coexist within the fermentative pathways in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Under dark anoxia, the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii may produce hydrogen by means of its hydrogenase enzymes, in particular HYD1, using reductants derived from the degradation of intercellular carbon stores. Other enzymes belonging to the fermentative pathways compete for the same reductants. A complete understanding of the mechanisms determining the activation of one pathway rather than another will help us engineer Chlamydomonas for fermentative metabolite production, including hydrogen. We examined the expression pattern of the fermentative genes PDC3, LDH1, ADH2, PFL1, and PFR1 in response to day-night cycles, continuous light, continuous darkness, and low or high oxygen availability, which are all conditions that vary on a regular basis in Chlamydomonas' natural environment. We found that all genes except PFL1 show daily fluctuations in expression, and that PFR1 differentiated itself from the others in that it is clearly responsive to low oxygen, where as PDC3, LDH1, and ADH2 are primarily under diurnal regulation. Our results provide evidence that there exist at least three different regulatory mechanisms within the fermentative pathways and suggest that the fermentative pathways are not redundant but rather that availability of a variety of pathways allows for a differential metabolic response to different environmental conditions.

Modeling temperature entrainment of circadian clocks using the Arrhenius equation and a reconstructed model from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Endogenous circadian rhythms allow living organisms to anticipate daily variations in their natural environment. Temperature regulation and entrainment mechanisms of circadian clocks are still poorly understood. To better understand the molecular basis of these processes, we built a mathematical model based on experimental data examining temperature regulation of the circadian RNA-binding protein CHLAMY1 from the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, simulating the effect of temperature on the rates by applying the Arrhenius equation. Using numerical simulations, we demonstrate that our model is temperature-compensated and can be entrained to temperature cycles of various length and amplitude. The range of periods that allow entrainment of the model depends on the shape of the temperature cycles and is larger for sinusoidal compared to rectangular temperature curves. We show that the response to temperature of protein (de)phosphorylation rates play a key role in facilitating temperature entrainment of the oscillator in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We systematically investigated the response of our model to single temperature pulses to explain experimentally observed phase response curves.

Predicting the physiological role of circadian metabolic regulation in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Although the number of reconstructed metabolic networks is steadily growing, experimental data integration into these networks is still challenging. Based on elementary flux mode analysis, we combine sequence information with metabolic pathway analysis and include, as a novel aspect, circadian regulation. While minimizing the need of assumptions, we are able to predict changes in the metabolic state and can hypothesise on the physiological role of circadian control in nitrogen metabolism of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Transcriptomic response of the red tide dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, to nitrogen and phosphorus depletion and addition

BACKGROUND

The role of coastal nutrient sources in the persistence of Karenia brevis red tides in coastal waters of Florida is a contentious issue that warrants investigation into the regulation of nutrient responses in this dinoflagellate. In other phytoplankton studied, nutrient status is reflected by the expression levels of N- and P-responsive gene transcripts. In dinoflagellates, however, many processes are regulated post-transcriptionally. All nuclear encoded gene transcripts studied to date possess a 5' trans-spliced leader (SL) sequence suggestive, based on the trypanosome model, of post-transcriptional regulation. The current study therefore sought to determine if the transcriptome of K. brevis is responsive to nitrogen and phosphorus and is informative of nutrient status.

RESULTS

Microarray analysis of N-depleted K. brevis cultures revealed an increase in the expression of transcripts involved in N-assimilation (nitrate and ammonium transporters, glutamine synthetases) relative to nutrient replete cells. In contrast, a transcriptional signal of P-starvation was not apparent despite evidence of P-starvation based on their rapid growth response to P-addition. To study transcriptome responses to nutrient addition, the limiting nutrient was added to depleted cells and changes in global gene expression were assessed over the first 48 hours following nutrient addition. Both N- and P-addition resulted in significant changes in approximately 4% of genes on the microarray, using a significance cutoff of 1.7-fold and p ≤ 10-4. By far, the earliest responding genes were dominated in both nutrient treatments by pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, which increased in expression up to 3-fold by 1 h following nutrient addition. PPR proteins are nuclear encoded proteins involved in chloroplast and mitochondria RNA processing. Correspondingly, other functions enriched in response to both nutrients were photosystem and ribosomal genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Microarray analysis provided transcriptomic evidence for N- but not P-limitation in K. brevis. Transcriptomic responses to the addition of either N or P suggest a concerted program leading to the reactivation of chloroplast functions. Even the earliest responding PPR protein transcripts possess a 5' SL sequence that suggests post-transcriptional control. Given the current state of knowledge of dinoflagellate gene regulation, it is currently unclear how these rapid changes in such transcript levels are achieved.

Transcriptome analysis of respiration-responsive genes in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: mitochondrial retrograde signaling coordinates the genes for cell proliferation with energy-producing metabolism

Plant organelles are not only the recipients of signals from the nucleus, but also elicit signals to regulate nuclear genes; the latter process is called retrograde regulation. We previously reported a novel mitochondrial retrograde regulation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; nuclear photosynthesis genes are regulated in response to mitochondrial respiratory electron transport (RET). However, the physiological roles of this retrograde regulation are not yet fully understood. In this study, we performed a genome-wide transcriptome analysis of this alga to reveal what kinds of genes are responsive to this RET signal, using Chlamydomonas macroarrays containing 10,368 expressed sequence tag clones. From the analysis, we identified 147 inducible and 35 repressive genes based on a couple of criteria: induction/repression by activated respiration caused by exogenously added acetate, and the cancellations of these responses by treatment with antimycin A, an inhibitor of RET. Interestingly, genes for respiration, photosynthesis, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, protein biosynthesis, cell wall biogenesis and flagella were significantly induced by RET-derived signals. From these findings, we discuss the physiological role of mitochondrial retrograde signaling in this unicellular alga, in terms of the coordination of cell proliferation with energy-producing metabolism.

The role of an E-box element: multiple frunctions and interacting partners

Circadian clocks can be entrained by light-dark or temperature cycles. In the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, 12h changes in temperature between 18°C and 28°C synchronize its clock. Both subunits of the circadian RNA-binding protein CHLAMY1, named C1 and C3, are able to integrate temperature information. C1 gets hyper-phosphorylated in cells grown at 18°C and the level of C3 is up-regulated at this temperature. In the long period mutant per1, where temperature entrainment is disturbed, the temperature-dependent regulation of C1 and C3 is altered. Up-regulation of C3 at the low temperature is mediated predominantly by an E-box element situated in its promoter region. This cis-acting element is also relevant for circadian expression of c3 as well as of its up-regulation in cells, where C1 is overexpressed. Among the few identified factors interacting with the E-box region, C3 is also present, suggesting that it feedbacks on its own transcription.

How the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii keeps time

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has two flagella and a primitive visual system, the eyespot apparatus, which allows the cell to phototax. About 40 years ago, it was shown that the circadian clock controls its phototactic movement. Since then, several circadian rhythms such as chemotaxis, cell division, UV sensitivity, adherence to glass, or starch metabolism have been characterized. The availability of its entire genome sequence along with homology studies and the analysis of several sub-proteomes render C. reinhardtii as an excellent eukaryotic model organism to study its circadian clock at different levels of organization. Previous studies point to several potential photoreceptors that may be involved in forwarding light information to entrain its clock. However, experimental data are still missing toward this end. In the past years, several components have been functionally characterized that are likely to be part of the oscillatory machinery of C. reinhardtii since alterations in their expression levels or insertional mutagenesis of the genes resulted in defects in phase, period, or amplitude of at least two independent measured rhythms. These include several RHYTHM OF CHLOROPLAST (ROC) proteins, a CONSTANS protein (CrCO) that is involved in parallel in photoperiodic control, as well as the two subunits of the circadian RNA-binding protein CHLAMY1. The latter is also tightly connected to circadian output processes. Several candidates including a significant number of ROCs, CrCO, and CASEIN KINASE1 whose alterations of expression affect the circadian clock have in parallel severe effects on the release of daughter cells, flagellar formation, and/or movement, indicating that these processes are interconnected in C. reinhardtii. The challenging task for the future will be to get insights into the clock network and to find out how the clock-related factors are functionally connected. In this respect, system biology approaches will certainly contribute in the future to improve our understanding of the C. reinhardtii clock machinery.

Orchestrated transcription of biological processes in the marine picoeukaryote Ostreococcus exposed to light/dark cycles

Background

Picoeukaryotes represent an important, yet poorly characterized component of marine phytoplankton. The recent genome availability for two species of Ostreococcus and Micromonas has led to the emergence of picophytoplankton comparative genomics. Sequencing has revealed many unexpected features about genome structure and led to several hypotheses on Ostreococcus biology and physiology. Despite the accumulation of genomic data, little is known about gene expression in eukaryotic picophytoplankton.

Results

We have conducted a genome-wide analysis of gene expression in Ostreococcus tauri cells exposed to light/dark cycles (L/D). A Bayesian Fourier Clustering method was implemented to cluster rhythmic genes according to their expression waveform. In a single L/D condition nearly all expressed genes displayed rhythmic patterns of expression. Clusters of genes were associated with the main biological processes such as transcription in the nucleus and the organelles, photosynthesis, DNA replication and mitosis.

Conclusions

Light/Dark time-dependent transcription of the genes involved in the main steps leading to protein synthesis (transcription basic machinery, ribosome biogenesis, translation and aminoacid synthesis) was observed, to an unprecedented extent in eukaryotes, suggesting a major input of transcriptional regulations in Ostreococcus. We propose that the diurnal co-regulation of genes involved in photoprotection, defence against oxidative stress and DNA repair might be an efficient mechanism, which protects cells against photo-damage thereby, contributing to the ability of O. tauri to grow under a wide range of light intensities.

Insertional mutagenesis as a tool to study genes/functions in Chlamydomonas

The unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has emerged during the last decades as a model system to understand gene functions, many of them shared by bacteria, fungi, plants, animals and humans. A powerful resource for the research community is the availability of complete collections of stable mutants for studying whole genome function. In the meantime other strategies might be developed; insertional mutagenesis has become currently the best strategy to disrupt and tag nuclear genes in Chlamydomonas allowing forward and reverse genetic approaches. Here, we outline the mutagenesis technique stressing the idea of generating databases for ordered mutant libraries, and also of improving efficient methods for reverse genetics to identify mutants defective in a particular gene.

Both subunits of the circadian RNA-binding protein CHLAMY1 can integrate temperature information

The circadian RNA-binding protein CHLAMY1 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii consists of two subunits named C1 and C3. Changes in the C1 level cause arrhythmicity of the phototaxis rhythm, while alterations in the level of C3 lead to acrophase shifts. Thus, CHLAMY1 is involved in maintaining period and phase of the circadian clock. Here, we analyzed the roles of the two subunits in the integration of temperature information, the basis for other key properties of circadian clocks, including entrainment by temperature cycles and temperature compensation. Applied temperatures (18 degrees C and 28 degrees C) were in the physiological range of C. reinhardtii. While C1 is hyperphosphorylated at low temperature, the C3 expression level is up-regulated at 18 degrees C. An inhibitor experiment showed that this up-regulation occurs at the transcriptional level. Promoter analysis studies along with single promoter element mutations revealed that individual replacement of two DREB1A-boxes lowered the amplitude of c3 up-regulation at 18 degrees C, while replacement of an E-box abolished it completely. Replacement of the E-box also caused arrhythmicity of circadian-controlled c3 expression. Thus, the E-box has a dual function for temperature-dependent up-regulation of c3 as well as for its circadian expression. We also found that the temperature-dependent regulation of C1 and C3 as well as temperature entrainment are altered in the clock mutant per1, indicating that a temperature-controlled network of C1, C3, and PER1 exists.

Novel functions for Period 3 and Exo-rhodopsin in rhythmic transcription and melatonin biosynthesis within the zebrafish pineal organ

Entrainment of circadian clocks to environmental cues such as photoperiod ensures that daily biological rhythms stay in synchronization with the Earth's rotation. The vertebrate pineal organ has a conserved role in circadian regulation as the primary source of the nocturnal hormone melatonin. In lower vertebrates, the pineal has an endogenous circadian clock as well as photoreceptive cells that regulate this clock. The zebrafish opsin protein Exo-rhodopsin (Exorh) is expressed in pineal photoreceptors and is a candidate to mediate the effects of environmental light on pineal rhythms and melatonin synthesis. We demonstrate that Exorh has an important role in regulating gene transcription within the pineal. In developing embryos that lack Exorh, expression of the exorh gene itself and of the melatonin synthesis gene serotonin N-acetyl transferase 2 (aanat2) are significantly reduced. This suggests that the Exorh protein at the cell membrane is part of a signaling pathway that positively regulates transcription of these genes, and ultimately melatonin production, in the pineal. Like many other opsin genes, exorh is expressed with a daily rhythm: mRNA levels are higher at night than during the day. We found that the transcription factor Orthodenticle homeobox 5 (Otx5) activates exorh transcription, while the putative circadian clock component Period 3 (Per3) represses expression during the day, thereby contributing to the rhythm of transcription. This work identifies novel roles for Exorh and Per3, and gives insight into potential interactions between the sensory and circadian systems within the pineal.

Life time-circadian clocks, mitochondria and metabolism

A functional circadian clock has long been considered a selective advantage. Accumulating evidence shows that the clock coordinates a variety of physiological processes in order to schedule them to the optimal time of day and thus to synchronize metabolism to changes in external conditions. In mitochondria, both metabolic and cellular defense mechanisms are carefully regulated. Abnormal clock function, might influence mitochondrial function, resulting in decreased fitness of an organism.

Circadian rhythms lit up in Chlamydomonas

Recent work on the circadian clock of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strengthens its standing as a convenient model system for circadian study. It was shown to be amenable to molecular engineering using a luciferase-based real-time reporter for circadian rhythms. Together with the completed draft genomic sequence, the new system opens the door for genome-scale forward and reverse genetic analysis.

Real-time monitoring of chloroplast gene expression by a luciferase reporter: evidence for nuclear regulation of chloroplast circadian period

Chloroplast-encoded genes, like nucleus-encoded genes, exhibit circadian expression. How the circadian clock exerts its control over chloroplast gene expression, however, is poorly understood. To facilitate the study of chloroplast circadian gene expression, we developed a codon-optimized firefly luciferase gene for the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a real-time bioluminescence reporter and introduced it into the chloroplast genome. The bioluminescence of the reporter strain correlated well with the circadian expression pattern of the introduced gene and satisfied all three criteria for circadian rhythms. Moreover, the period of the rhythm was lengthened in per mutants, which are phototactic rhythm mutants carrying a long-period gene in their nuclear genome. These results demonstrate that chloroplast gene expression rhythm is a bona fide circadian rhythm and that the nucleus-encoded circadian oscillator determines the period length of the chloroplast rhythm. Our reporter strains can serve as a powerful tool not only for analysis of the circadian regulation mechanisms of chloroplast gene expression but also for a genetic approach to the molecular oscillator of the algal circadian clock.