Metabolic molecular markers of the tidal clock in the marine crustacean Eurydice pulchra

John Stuart O'Neill, Kate D. Lee, Lin Zhang, Kevin Feeney, Simon George Webster, James Blades, Charalambos Panayiotis Kyriacou, Michael Hastings, David Wilcockson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)
148 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In contrast to the well mapped molecular orchestration of circadian timekeeping in terrestrial organisms, the mechanisms that direct tidal and lunar rhythms in marine species are entirely unknown. Using a combination of biochemical and molecular approaches we have identified a series of metabolic markers of the tidal clock of the intertidal isopod Eurydice pulchra. Specifically, we show that the overoxidation of peroxiredoxin (PRX), a conserved marker of circadian timekeeping in terrestrial eukaryotes [1], follows a circatidal (approximately 12.4 hours) pattern in E. pulchra, in register with the tidal pattern of swimming. In parallel, we show that mitochondrially encoded genes are expressed with a circatidal rhythm. Together, these findings demonstrate that PRX overoxidation rhythms are not intrinsically circadian; rather they appear to resonate with the dominant metabolic cycle of an organism, regardless of its frequency. Moreover, they provide the first molecular leads for dissecting the tidal clockwork.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)R326-R327
Number of pages2
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume25
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Apr 2015

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Metabolic molecular markers of the tidal clock in the marine crustacean Eurydice pulchra'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this