Author
Chen Liu
Bio: Chen Liu is an academic researcher from Harvard University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Circadian rhythm & Receptor. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 4 publications receiving 1688 citations.
Papers
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TL;DR: The results provide a molecular basis for two distinct, mechanistically separable effects of melatonin on SCN physiology.
679 citations
TL;DR: The results show that circadian period in the whole animal is determined by averaging widely dispersed periods of individual clock cells, and demonstrate that the tau mutation affects circadian function in a cell-autonomous manner.
518 citations
TL;DR: The results show that the daily variation in responsiveness of the SCN to phase-shifting agents is manifested at the level of individual neurons, and propose that GABA is an important synchronizer of SCN neurons in vivo.
345 citations
TL;DR: Data support the hypothesis that the Mel1a receptor, which does encode a functional receptor in this species, mediates reproductive and circadian responses to melatonin.
Abstract: The pineal hormone melatonin regulates seasonal reproduction and influences the timing of circadian rhythms. The Mel1a and Mel1b receptors are the high-affinity melatonin receptors present in mammals. Unexpectedly, the Mel1b receptor gene of the Siberian hamster, Phodopus sungorus, cannot encode a functional receptor; two nonsense mutations are present within the coding region. Southern blot analysis indicates that this is a single copy gene. The Mel1b receptor gene is nonfunctional in outbred populations of P. sungorus and Phodopus campbelli. Siberian hamsters lacking a functional Mel1b receptor nevertheless show seasonal reproductive and circadian responses to melatonin, indicating that the Mel1b receptor is not necessary for these responses. These data support the hypothesis that the Mel1a receptor, which does encode a functional receptor in this species, mediates reproductive and circadian responses to melatonin.
228 citations
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Book•
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TL;DR: The brain's default state: self-organized oscillations in rest and sleep, and perturbation of the default patterns by experience.
Abstract: Prelude. Cycle 1. Introduction. Cycle 2. Structure defines function. Cycle 3. Diversity of cortical functions is provided by inhibition. Cycle 4. Windows on the brain. Cycle 5. A system of rhythms: from simple to complex dynamics. Cycle 6. Synchronization by oscillation. Cycle 7. The brain's default state: self-organized oscillations in rest and sleep. Cycle 8. Perturbation of the default patterns by experience. Cycle 9. The gamma buzz: gluing by oscillations in the waking brain. Cycle 10. Perceptions and actions are brain state-dependent. Cycle 11. Oscillations in the "other cortex:" navigation in real and memory space. Cycle 12. Coupling of systems by oscillations. Cycle 13. The tough problem. References.
4,266 citations
TL;DR: Circadian rhythms are generated by one of the most ubiquitous and well-studied timing systems and are tamed by a master clock in the brain, which coordinates tissue-specific rhythms according to light input it receives from the outside world.
Abstract: Time in the biological sense is measured by cycles that range from milliseconds to years. Circadian rhythms, which measure time on a scale of 24 h, are generated by one of the most ubiquitous and well-studied timing systems. At the core of this timing mechanism is an intricate molecular mechanism that ticks away in many different tissues throughout the body. However, these independent rhythms are tamed by a master clock in the brain, which coordinates tissue-specific rhythms according to light input it receives from the outside world.
3,962 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review 25 years of research on the Kuramoto model, highlighting the false turns as well as the successes, but mainly following the trail leading from Kuramoto's work to Crawford's recent contributions.
2,795 citations
TL;DR: It used to be that research in chronobiology moved biochemical functions [transcriptional activators], the along at a gentlemanly pace, but by mid 1997 the word in determining what the authors perceive as time was PASWCCLK.
2,723 citations
TL;DR: Stochastic gene expression has important consequences for cellular function, being beneficial in some contexts and harmful in others, including the stress response, metabolism, development, the cell cycle, circadian rhythms, and aging.
2,471 citations