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Achilles Is A Circadian Clock-Controlled Gene That Regulates The Immune System And Its Rhythmicity In Drosophila, Jiajia Li

Dissertations

Circadian clock is a transcriptional/translational feedback loop that drives the rhythmic expression of downstream mRNAs. Termed “clock-controlled genes,” these molecular outputs of the circadian clock orchestrate cellular, metabolic, and behavioral rhythms. As part of our on-going work to characterize key upstream regulators of circadian mRNA expression, we have identified a novel clock-controlled gene in Drosophila melanogaster, Achilles (Achl), which is rhythmic at the mRNA level in the brain and represses expression of immune response genes, especially anti-microbial peptides in the immune system. Achl knock-down in the brain dramatically elevates expression of crucial immune response genes, including IM1 …