Helmsley-Supported Research Discovers Protein That Controls Strength of Body’s Circadian Rhythms
At noon every day, levels of genes and proteins throughout your body are drastically different than they are at midnight.
Disruptions to this 24-hour cycle of physiological activity are why jet lag or a bad night’s sleep can alter your appetite and sleep patterns for days—and even contribute to conditions like heart disease, sleep disorders and cancers.
Now, scientists at the Salk Institute and collaborators have discovered a key player—a protein called REV-ERBα—that controls the strength of this circadian rhythm in mammals.
The discovery is unusual in the field, as most circadian genes and proteins only shift the timing or length of the daily cycle...