Post-Translational Mechanisms of Plant Circadian Regulation

The molecular components of the circadian system possess the interesting feature of acting together to create a self-sustaining oscillator, while at the same time acting individually, and in complexes, to confer phase-specific circadian control over a wide range of physiological and developmental outputs. This means that many circadian oscillator proteins are simultaneously also part of the circadian output pathway. Most studies have focused on transcriptional control of circadian rhythms, but work in plants and metazoans has shown the importance of post-transcriptional and post-translational processes within the circadian system. Here we highlight recent work describing post-translational mechanisms that impact both the function of the oscillator and the clock-controlled outputs.

Automated summary

The molecular components of the circadian system can act together to form a self-sustaining oscillator, but also individually or in complexes to regulate circadian control over various physiological and developmental outputs. While most studies have focused on transcriptional control, recent research highlights the importance of post-transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms in impacting both the oscillator function and clock-controlled outputs.