Marina P. Antoch

Bio: Marina P. Antoch is an academic researcher from Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Circadian clock & Circadian rhythm. The author has an hindex of 35, co-authored 48 publications receiving 9718 citations. Previous affiliations of Marina P. Antoch include Cleveland Clinic & Northwestern University.

Early aging and age-related pathologies in mice deficient in BMAL1, the core componentof the circadian clock

Abstract: Mice deficient in the circadian transcription factor BMAL1 (brain and muscle ARNT-like protein) have impaired circadian behavior and demonstrate loss of rhythmicity in the expression of target genes. Here we report that Bmal1(-/-) mice have reduced lifespans and display various symptoms of premature aging including sarcopenia, cataracts, less subcutaneous fat, organ shrinkage, and others. The early aging phenotype correlates with increased levels of reactive oxygen species in some tissues of the Bmal1(-/- )animals. These findings, together with data on CLOCK/BMAL1-dependent control of stress responses, may provide a mechanistic explanation for the early onset of age-related pathologies in the absence of BMAL1.

Positional Syntenic Cloning and Functional Characterization of the Mammalian Circadian Mutation tau

Abstract: The tau mutation is a semidominant autosomal allele that dramatically shortens period length of circadian rhythms in Syrian hamsters. We report the molecular identification of the tau locus using genetically directed representational difference analysis to define a region of conserved synteny in hamsters with both the mouse and human genomes. The tau locus is encoded by casein kinase I epsilon (CKIɛ), a homolog of the Drosophila circadian gene double-time . In vitro expression and functional studies of wild-type and tau mutant CKIɛ enzyme reveal that the mutant enzyme has a markedly reduced maximal velocity and autophosphorylation state. In addition, in vitro CKIɛ can interact with mammalian PERIOD proteins, and the mutant enzyme is deficient in its ability to phosphorylate PERIOD. We conclude that tau is an allele of hamster CKIɛ and propose a mechanism by which the mutation leads to the observed aberrant circadian phenotype in mutant animals.

Genome-wide atlas of gene expression in the adult mouse brain

Abstract: Molecular approaches to understanding the functional circuitry of the nervous system promise new insights into the relationship between genes, brain and behaviour. The cellular diversity of the brain necessitates a cellular resolution approach towards understanding the functional genomics of the nervous system. We describe here an anatomically comprehensive digital atlas containing the expression patterns of approximately 20,000 genes in the adult mouse brain. Data were generated using automated high-throughput procedures for in situ hybridization and data acquisition, and are publicly accessible online. Newly developed image-based informatics tools allow global genome-scale structural analysis and cross-correlation, as well as identification of regionally enriched genes. Unbiased fine-resolution analysis has identified highly specific cellular markers as well as extensive evidence of cellular heterogeneity not evident in classical neuroanatomical atlases. This highly standardized atlas provides an open, primary data resource for a wide variety of further studies concerning brain organization and function.

Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition

Abstract: Chronic exposure to stress hormones, whether it occurs during the prenatal period, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood or aging, has an impact on brain structures involved in cognition and mental health. However, the specific effects on the brain, behaviour and cognition emerge as a function of the timing and the duration of the exposure, and some also depend on the interaction between gene effects and previous exposure to environmental adversity. Advances in animal and human studies have made it possible to synthesize these findings, and in this Review a model is developed to explain why different disorders emerge in individuals exposed to stress at different times in their lives.

Coordination of circadian timing in mammals

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.