Grant: Project Grant

The circadian timing system generates biological rhythms in physiology and behaviour that are synchronized with the environment. These circadian rhythms regulate a variety of fundamental biological processes including metabolism, cardiovascular function, and sleep among others. Disruptions to the circadian system, caused by either genetic or environmental factors, have been implicated in the pathology of many human diseases including cancer, diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and neuropsychiatric disorders. In order to gain greater insight into these disease states it is imperative to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the temporal organization of the circadian system. Using Drosophila, our research has approached the concept of circadian synchrony from a systems level by exploring the interaction between central (neuronal) and peripheral (non-innervated) clock cells, and has established a model system for understanding the neuroendocrine regulation of peripheral oscillators (Krupp et al., Curr. Biol., 2008; Krupp et al., Neuron, 2013). Using this system our future research will seek to understand how temporal information from both the internal and external environment is integrated to produce coherent circadian rhythms in cellular physiology, and how rhythms in physiology are coordinated within cells and across tissues and organ systems. Given the high degree of conservation between the circadian system of Drosophila and that of mammals we anticipate that our findings will translate to humans and increase our understanding of the circadian processes that contribute to human health.