Achievements
The amount of darkness in the day controls the gene interaction that governs our seasonal ‘clock genes’. It has now been discovered that the timing of this gene interaction is altered according to the number of hours of darkness. As the nights get longer the time between clock gene peaks is stretched out, and as they get shorter again with the coming of spring, the interval is squeezed back together. The discovery was made at the MRC’s Human Reproductive Sciences Unit by studying a wild-type breed of Scottish sheep from the Outer Hebrides, which has highly seasonal reproduction. Because our moods, appetites and energy levels are affected by the seasons, unravelling at a molecular level what makes our seasonal clocks tick is important for understanding and treating seasonal and lifestyle related illnesses and diseases.
Current Biology 2004; 14: 334-339