《生命科学》 2004, 16(2):

哺乳动物昼夜节律生物钟研究进展

徐祖元^1,2

1中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所人类基因组中心，北京华大基因研究中心，北京100101；2长江大学生命科学学院，荆州 434025

摘　要：
摘　要：昼夜节律生物钟是一种以近似24小时为周期的自主维持的振荡器，在分子水平上，该振荡器是一个由9个基因组成的转录翻译反馈环路系统。它能受外界环境影响重新设置节律，使自身机体活动处于最佳状态。除了进行自我调节外，生物钟基因还能通过调节代谢途径中特定基因表达而影响机体生理生化过程。在过去的几年里，借用遗传学和分子生物学工具，我们对哺乳动物昼夜节律生物钟的分子基础有了新的认识，本文综述了这一进展,并展望了它们在研究人的昼夜节律行为异常领域的前景。
关键词：昼夜节律；生物钟基因；节律调节；钟控基因

Advance in circadian rhythm genetics in mammals

XU Zu-Yuan^1,2

1 Beijing Genomics Institute , Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology ,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; 2 College of Life Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China

Abstract: Abstract: The circadian clock is a self-sustaining oscillator that has a period of about 24 hours and can synchronize itself to changing environmental conditionals to optimize an organisms performance. Besides their own regulation, clock genes can influence biochemical processes by modulating specific genes of biochemical pathways. Developments in the last few years using genetics and molecular biological tools have led to a new understanding of the molecular basis of the circadian clock in mammals. We review here these advances and the prospects for using the homologues as candidate genes in studies of human disorders in the circadian timing system.
Key words: circadian rhythm; clock genes; entrainment; clock-controlled genes