Cell biology: PERIOD1-associated proteins modulate the negative limb of the mammalian circadian oscillator

Abstract

The clock proteins PERIOD1 (PER1) and PERIOD2 (PER2) play essential roles in a negative transcriptional feedback loop that generates circadian rhythms in mammalian cells. We identified two PER1-associated factors, NONO and WDR5, that modulate PER activity. The reduction of NONO expression by RNA interference (RNAi) attenuated circadian rhythms in mammalian cells, and fruit flies carrying a hypomorphic allele were nearly arrhythmic. WDR5, a subunit of histone methyltransferase complexes, augmented PER-mediated transcriptional repression, and its reduction by RNAi diminished circadian histone methylations at the promoter of a clock gene.