《生命科学》 2015, 27(11): 1372-1379
摘 要：摘 要：地球以24 h 为自转周期，为此，生活在地球上的不同生物也通过自身约24 h 的内在节律的形成来适应昼夜环境的变化，这一系统即为生物钟。在哺乳类动物中，生物钟主要通过涵盖转录与翻译水平的核心连锁环驱动特异性的转录因子来维持整个基因组转录的昼夜节律性，从而使得不同组织与器官的生理功能能够适应环境剧烈的昼夜变化。现将在综述哺乳类动物昼夜节律形成机制及其生理功能研究进展的基础上，对今后的研究方向作出展望。
Abstract: Abstract: The earth’s rotation around its axis generates a 24-hour cycle of light and darkness. Therefore， almost all living organisms have evolved internal timekeeper， termed as circadian clock， to anticipate the changes in the physical environment that are tied to the rotation of earth. The mammalian circadian clock is composed of the primary transcriptional and post-translational feedback loop (TTL)， associated with one or more “auxiliary” loops to drive the global rhythmic gene expression， thereby ensuring that internal changes take place in coordination with external cycle. Here， we discuss knowledge acquired during the past few years on the molecular mechanism and function of the mammalian circadian system.
