Advisors: Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna, Di Wu, Louis Morgan
Circadian rhythms are daily oscillations in a biological activity such as the human sleep/activity cycle and sporulation cycles in fungi. The fungus Neurospora crassa is a model organism for the study of the circadian clock which generates the signal for the sporulation rhythm at molecular level. Current models for the organization of the circadian clock propose that an oscillator based on the frequency gene acts as a stable frequency generator for other cellular oscillators. Physiological analyses of the clock system suggest a resemblance to electrical frequency synthesis phase-locked loops, such as those used in radio transmission. A phase locked loop circuit will be designed based the Neurospora circadian clock and tested for its value as a simulation. In addition, the circuit will be "mutated" from normal operation to simulate the effect of genetic mutations on the circadian clock. Prediction arising from the simulations can be tested biologically. Project will be performed with assistance from a post-doctoral researcher from the Biology Department.