August 15, 2008, Newsletter Issue #184: New Sleep Gene Findings
Tip of the Week
A new study suggest that the first gene known to control the internal clock of humans and other mammals works exactly in reverse of what was previously believed.
According to researchers at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the finding could mean a dramatic reversal in the way circadian rhythm disorders such as depression, insomnia, and chronic fatigue are treated.
Previously, it was believed the tau mutation caused a decrease in activity of the casein kinase 1 epsilon (CK1) gene, which in turn caused the body's circadian rhythm to speed up. But, in fact, researchers have now discovered the opposite is true, and it is an increase in activity of the CK1 gene that causes affected animals to have a shorter day.
Several pharmaceutical companies have been developing inhibitors of CK1 activity based on the hypothesis that CK1 loss of function speeds up the clock. But this new research means drug studies are going to have to be redesigned, say the experts.
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