| Grant number: | 13/24337-4 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct) |
| Start date: | March 01, 2014 |
| End date: | February 28, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology |
| Principal Investigator: | Ana Maria de Lauro Castrucci |
| Grantee: | Leonardo Vinícius Monteiro de Assis |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil |
| Associated research grant: | 12/50214-4 - Biological clock setting by light and temperature: phylogenetic aspects, AP.TEM |
Abstract Environmental light-dark cycles evoke several physiological and behavioral responses in animals. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the pacemaker responsible for generating the self-sustainable rhythms with a period close to 24 hours called circadian rhythms. Input signals such as light and temperature can reset the suprachiasmatic clock in a daily basis synchronizing the circadian rhythm to precisely 24 hours of the day. Besides the central clock there are also peripheral clocks spread throughout cells and tissues within the organism, which are under hierarchical influence of the central clock. Per, Cry, Clock and Bmal1 genes share an important role in generating these rhythms, through complex inhibition and activation mechanisms. Studies have shown an important correlation between circadian disruption and cancer development in shift workers. Although little is known about the mechanisms involved in this process, it is known that genes related to apoptosis, cell cycle and DNA repair display circadian oscillations and might be under circadian control. The super family of Transient Receptor Potential channel (TRP) is important in regulating several cellular processes, such as: temperature and pain detection, UV light response and early melanin synthesis. Interestingly, it has been demonstrated that UV light is able to interact with members of this family, through activation of rhodopsin, leading to rapid and sustained influx of calcium, which ultimately generates an early pigmentation in human melanocytes. Part of this phenomenon might be due to free radical generation; however, it is not known whether UVA/blue light interacts with TRP channels and free radicals to modulate clock gene expression. That would possibly characterize a route for peripheral clock adjustment and cell cycle control, which would ultimately promote or not cancer development. Therefore, the aim of this project is to study the modulation of clock genes through the UV/blue light stimulation in normal and transformed melanocytes. (AU) | |
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