FEBS Letters
Volume 583, Issue 24 , Pages 3931-3937, 17 December 2009

The pedestrian watchmaker: Genetic clocks from engineered oscillators

Edited by Måns Ehrenberg

  • Natalie A. Cookson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
    • ,
  • Lev S. Tsimring

      Affiliations

    • BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
    • ,
  • Jeff Hasty

      Affiliations

    • Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
    • BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
    • Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Address: Molecular Biology Section, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States. Fax: +1 760 944 7173.

Received 13 July 2009; accepted 26 October 2009. published online 09 November 2009.

Abstract 

The crucial role of time-keeping has required organisms to develop sophisticated regulatory networks to ensure the reliable propagation of periodic behavior. These biological clocks have long been a focus of research; however, a clear understanding of how they maintain oscillations in the face of unpredictable environments and the inherent noise of biological systems remains elusive. Here, we review the current understanding of circadian oscillations using Drosophila melanogaster as a typical example and discuss the utility of an alternative synthetic biology approach to studying these highly intricate systems.

Keywords: Synthetic biology, Circadian clock, Genetic oscillator

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PII: S0014-5793(09)00898-9

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2009.10.089

FEBS Letters
Volume 583, Issue 24 , Pages 3931-3937, 17 December 2009

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