Light is a prominent stimulus that synchronizes endogenous circadian rhythmicity to environmental light/ dark cycles. Nocturnal light elevates mRNA of the Period1 (Per1) gene and induces long term state changes, expressed as phase shifts of circadian rhythms. The cellular mechanism for Per1 elevation and light-induced phase advance in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a process initiated primarily by glutamatergic neurotransmission from the retinohypothalamic tract, was examined. Glutamate (GLU)-induced phase advances in the rat SCN were blocked by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) against Per1 and Ca 2؉ /cAMP response element (CRE)-decoy ODN. CRE-decoy ODN also blocked light-induced phase advances in vivo. Furthermore, the CRE-decoy blocked GLU-induced accumulation of Per1 mRNA. Thus, Ca 2؉ /cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and Per1 are integral components of the pathway transducing light-stimulated GLU neurotransmission into phase advance of the circadian clock.Mammalian circadian rhythmicity is generated by endogenous alternations in transcription/translation of putative clock genes within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) 1 of the basal hypothalamus. As a projection site of the retinohypothalamic tract, the SCN is poised to respond to retinal light information, mediated primarily by glutamatergic (GLU) neurotransmission, to assure time-of-day congruence between the endogenous pacemaker and the external environment. The mechanisms by which the SCN decodes and processes light information are complex and change as the biochemical clock states progress through their 24-h cycle (1). Light resets the clock throughout the night via glutamatergic-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated Ca 2ϩ influx, which activates nitric-oxide synthase to liberate nitric oxide (NO) (2). At this point, the light signaling pathway diverges. In the early night, the light-induced state change, which delays subsequent rhythms, proceeds through NO-dependent activation of a neuronal ryanodine receptor. Light-induced state changes in the late night are independent of ryanodine receptor activation, but require activation of protein kinase G (PKG) (3-5). The discovery of several specific genes associated with circadian rhythmicity, including Period (Per) and Timeless (Tim) (for review, see Ref. 6), raises questions regarding the mechanisms that interface nocturnal light signals with the molecular clockwork. Throughout the night, light stimuli sufficient to cause long term state changes, or phase shifts, of circadian rhythms of rodent wheel running correlate with increased phosphorylation of the transcription factor, Ca 2ϩ /cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) (7, 8), activation of Ca 2ϩ /cAMP response element (CRE)-mediated transcription (9), and a rise in Per1 mRNA (10 -15). This investigation was undertaken to determine whether CRE-mediated activation of Per1 is required for light/GLU-induced phase resetting of the SCN clock. We hypothesized that the GLU-induced phase advance requires activation of CRE and elevation ...

Mutations in coding and non-coding regions of FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The latter mutations may exert toxicity by increasing FUS accumulation. We show here that broad expression within the nervous system of wild-type or either of two ALS-linked mutants of human FUS in mice produces progressive motor phenotypes accompanied by characteristic ALS-like pathology. FUS levels are autoregulated by a mechanism in which human FUS downregulates endogenous FUS at mRNA and protein levels. Increasing wild-type human FUS expression achieved by saturating this autoregulatory mechanism produces a rapidly progressive phenotype and dose-dependent lethality. Transcriptome analysis reveals mis-regulation of genes that are largely not observed upon FUS reduction. Likely mechanisms for FUS neurotoxicity include autophagy inhibition and defective RNA metabolism. Thus, our results reveal that overriding FUS autoregulation will trigger gain-of-function toxicity via altered autophagy-lysosome pathway and RNA metabolism function, highlighting a role for protein and RNA dyshomeostasis in FUS-mediated toxicity.

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