THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK: WHAT REALLY MAKES
US TICK
Genetic Circuitry Key to Array of Human Conditions, UH Circadian
Scientists Say
HOUSTON, March 24, 2004 – From sleep patterns to health
conditions, biological clocks get down to what makes us tick. The
University of Houston is home to one of the world’s leading
centers for biological rhythms research. With five laboratories
and a team of more than 30 scholars led by five tenured faculty
members, the UH Biological Clocks Program studies an array of issues
with far-reaching human implications.
Paul Hardin, a professor of biology and biochemistry at UH, primarily
focuses on researching the molecular mechanisms that underlie circadian
oscillators, which are biological clocks that control daily rhythms
such as sleep-wake cycles and daily cycles of many hormones. By
understanding this molecular circuitry that underlies biological
rhythm function in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), Hardin
is determining how daily rhythms in physiology and behavior found
in many organisms are controlled by an innate, genetically encoded
circadian clock. This research has allowed Hardin to be able to
define certain genetic relationships that, in turn, led to the discovery
that circadian oscillators can produce profound effects on the performance
of animal sensory systems. His research with fruit flies, then,
also is pertinent to biological clock function in mammals.
“Distinct rhythms are present in so many organisms, spanning
the evolutionary chain of microbes, plants, animals and humans,”
Hardin said. “One of the main reasons for studying circadian
rhythms is to uncover the impact they have on human health and well
being. A better understanding of the function of these rhythms across
species can help us evaluate the consequences of problems that occur
when the clock is damaged in humans.”
Also known as circadian rhythms, biological clocks offer scientific
insight into depression and medication toxicity, as well as helps
pinpoint peak attack times related to lung, heart and brain disorders.
For instance, it has been found that cancer drug therapies are metabolized
much better at certain times of the day. So, if physicians can pinpoint
these ideal times and give those drugs when they do not metabolize
and allow the body to clear them naturally, then side effects can
be reduced while impact is maximized.
And with such vital signs as blood pressure and heart rate under
the control of the circadian clock, respiratory, cardiac and cerebrovascular
conditions that are dependent on these vitals also are on the way
to being better understood. Asthma attacks, for example, primarily
occur in the middle of the night, while peak time for heart attacks
and strokes is typically mid morning.
The mystery behind biological clocks also is key to understanding
how sleep-wake cycle disruptions lead to various types of depression
and may ultimately uncover ways to better cope with shift work and
jet lag.
Hardin’s enthusiasm for this burgeoning field is obvious and
his contributions significant. He was trained as a molecular geneticist,
joining the UH faculty in 1995. He has won a number of awards for
his research, among them the Aschoff-Honma Prize that he received
this September in Japan. The award is presented every two years
to a scientist working in the field of biological rhythms and currently
carries a monetary award of one million yen (approximately $10,000).
Hardin and his team also have grants from the National Institutes
of Health, Department of Defense and NASA.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
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