• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Body Clock Breakthrough

Messages
5,238
Location
Sofa, UK
News today of two new studies providing an unexpected breakthrough insight into the mechanisms of the body clock.

The researchers claim to have worked out how the body clock works in all forms of life, from human cells to algae!

They found evidence of circadian rhythm in red blood cells, which was unexpected because the circadian rhythm has always been assumed to be linked to DNA - but red blood cells do not have DNA. The algae and red blood cells were able to keep time without gene activity.

The peroxiredoxins which display the 24-hour cycle are present in virtually all known organisms.

News story:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...y-unlocks-secrets-of-the-body-clock-1.1082237

The two papers:
Circadian clocks in human red blood cells


http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v469/n7331/full/nature09702.html

Circadian rhythms persist without transcription in a eukaryote


http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v469/n7331/full/nature09654.html