Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks
Abstract Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillators driving daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Synchronization of these timers to environmental light–dark cycles (‘entrainment’) is crucial for an organism's fitness. Little is known about which oscillator qualities determine entrainment,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2010-11-01
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| Series: | Molecular Systems Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/msb.2010.92 |
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| author | Ute Abraham Adrián E Granada Pål O Westermark Markus Heine Achim Kramer Hanspeter Herzel |
| author_facet | Ute Abraham Adrián E Granada Pål O Westermark Markus Heine Achim Kramer Hanspeter Herzel |
| author_sort | Ute Abraham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillators driving daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Synchronization of these timers to environmental light–dark cycles (‘entrainment’) is crucial for an organism's fitness. Little is known about which oscillator qualities determine entrainment, i.e., entrainment range, phase and amplitude. In a systematic theoretical and experimental study, we uncovered these qualities for circadian oscillators in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN—the master clock in mammals) and the lung (a peripheral clock): (i) the ratio between stimulus (zeitgeber) strength and oscillator amplitude and (ii) the rigidity of the oscillatory system (relaxation rate upon perturbation) determine entrainment properties. Coupling among oscillators affects both qualities resulting in increased amplitude and rigidity. These principles explain our experimental findings that lung clocks entrain to extreme zeitgeber cycles, whereas SCN clocks do not. We confirmed our theoretical predictions by showing that pharmacological inhibition of coupling in the SCN leads to larger ranges of entrainment. These differences between master and the peripheral clocks suggest that coupling‐induced rigidity in the SCN filters environmental noise to create a robust circadian system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-26d76b0fdcfa40db85cbe3816d17fe4b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1744-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2010-11-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecular Systems Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-26d76b0fdcfa40db85cbe3816d17fe4b2025-08-24T12:00:09ZengSpringer NatureMolecular Systems Biology1744-42922010-11-016111310.1038/msb.2010.92Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocksUte Abraham0Adrián E Granada1Pål O Westermark2Markus Heine3Achim Kramer4Hanspeter Herzel5Laboratory of Chronobiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlinInstitute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University BerlinInstitute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University BerlinLaboratory of Chronobiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlinLaboratory of Chronobiology, Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlinInstitute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt University BerlinAbstract Circadian clocks are endogenous oscillators driving daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Synchronization of these timers to environmental light–dark cycles (‘entrainment’) is crucial for an organism's fitness. Little is known about which oscillator qualities determine entrainment, i.e., entrainment range, phase and amplitude. In a systematic theoretical and experimental study, we uncovered these qualities for circadian oscillators in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN—the master clock in mammals) and the lung (a peripheral clock): (i) the ratio between stimulus (zeitgeber) strength and oscillator amplitude and (ii) the rigidity of the oscillatory system (relaxation rate upon perturbation) determine entrainment properties. Coupling among oscillators affects both qualities resulting in increased amplitude and rigidity. These principles explain our experimental findings that lung clocks entrain to extreme zeitgeber cycles, whereas SCN clocks do not. We confirmed our theoretical predictions by showing that pharmacological inhibition of coupling in the SCN leads to larger ranges of entrainment. These differences between master and the peripheral clocks suggest that coupling‐induced rigidity in the SCN filters environmental noise to create a robust circadian system.https://doi.org/10.1038/msb.2010.92circadian clockcouplingentrainmentmathematical modelingoscillatorregulation |
| spellingShingle | Ute Abraham Adrián E Granada Pål O Westermark Markus Heine Achim Kramer Hanspeter Herzel Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks Molecular Systems Biology circadian clock coupling entrainment mathematical modeling oscillatorregulation |
| title | Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| title_full | Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| title_fullStr | Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| title_short | Coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| title_sort | coupling governs entrainment range of circadian clocks |
| topic | circadian clock coupling entrainment mathematical modeling oscillatorregulation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/msb.2010.92 |
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