Carrie Partch, Professor, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UC Santa Cruz, will give a seminar on "Morning larks and night owls shed light on human circadian timekeeping."

ABSTRACT

Our lives are intimately linked to Earth’s 24-hour solar cycle via circadian clocks that coordinate physiology and behavior into rhythms that coincide with the day/night cycle. By integrating structural biology, biochemistry, and cell biology, we’ve been working to identify how dedicated clock proteins interact with one another to establish a deeper understanding of the transcription-based feedback loop that underlies circadian rhythms in mammals. Recent insights into the genetic basis of morning lark and night owl behavior have shed light on key molecular steps in the clock that play a powerful role in determining the intrinsic timing of circadian clocks in humans. Some of these recent advances will be discussed to explore the biochemical basis for circadian timekeeping.