Cell Biology Commons^™

Plant-Like Cryptochrome Does Not Promote Blue Light-Induced Resetting Of The Circadian Clock In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Jonathan Howton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The circadian clock is an endogenous timer that allows an organism to anticipate and properly prepare for the daily changes in the environment. This preparation occurs in the form of daily rhythms in metabolism, physiology, and behavior. These approximately 24-hour rhythms are reset upon environmental time cues such as the daily light/dark and temperature cycles. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a useful model organism for circadian clock research. It shows several well-characterized circadian rhythms of behavior, and the monitoring of its rhythm of phototaxis, or swimming towards light, has been automated. The receptors involved in entraining the clock …