Exploring the interaction between light- and food- entrainable oscillators in the mammalian circadian system

Vanderbilt University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

Our internal biological clocks are synchronized with our external surroundings and regulate our daily (circadian) rhythms of behavior and physiology. The mammalian circadian system is composed of multiple clocks located in the brain and throughout the body. Most studies have investigated the central clock in the brain, which synchronizes to the environmental cycle of light and dark. In contrast, other clocks, such as those that respond to feeding time, are "black box" mysteries because their locations in the body are unknown. In this project, behavioral, molecular, and mathematical approaches will be combined to investigate the timekeeping mechanisms of these elusive clocks and how they functionally interact with the circadian system to control behavior. These studies will identify genes that are important for timekeeping in these clocks and future studies evaluating the expression patterns of these genes could lead to the identification of the location(s) of these oscillators, which could transform our understanding of the function of the circadian system. This research is a unique opportunity for undergraduate and post-doctoral trainees to participate in a project that will address long-standing speculation about biological timekeeping. The studies will teach trainees about the value of experimental observation, creativity, and using multiple technical approaches when developing and testing hypotheses. Trainees from all academic levels, including a postdoctoral fellow, undergraduate students and high school students, and from diverse demographic backgrounds, including women and underrepresented minorities, will be immersed in an environment rich in the study of circadian biology. Finally, this project will provide opportunities for community outreach, because lab members organize and operate the biological clocks booth at free events for children of all economic and racial backgrounds.