Thursday 25 February 2010, 11:30 AM (AAD Theatrette)

Ezio Rosato and Ozge Ozkaya

Leicester University, Department of Genetics, UK

The Molecular basis of circadian rhythms in Krill

The circadian (Latin circa = about diem = day) clock is an endogenous, self sustained mechanism controlling many aspects of behaviour and physiology that cycle with a period of 24-hours. The genetic bases and the molecular functioning of the clock were first described for the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, but have since been demonstrated to operate through homologous genes in all animals investigated thus far. Our laboratory has shown that the locomotor activity of Euphausia superba is controlled by the circadian clock, establishing, for the first time, a direct link between endogenous rhythmicity and the daily vertical migration exhibited by krill (Gaten et al 2008). At the molecular level, we have identified 4 clock gene homologues in Euphausia superba enabling us to start dissecting the clock mechanism in this species.

Bio - Dr Ezio Rosato is a Reader at the University of Leicester and has been studying the circadian clock of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster for over 20 years. Recently he has become interested in marine organisms. The laboratory investigates behavioural rhythms and how they are generated in terms of molecules and neurons. Dr Özge Özkaya is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in Dr Rosato's laboratory and has been studying the circadian clock in krill species at the molecular level.