Research Projects

Circadian clocks have evolved due to daily environmental changes caused by the Earth's rotation. However, the evolution of precise circadian clocks has not been thoroughly investigated. In my PhD study, I examined the precision and stability of circadian clocks under stabilizing selection for precise timing of clock-controlled behavior in Drosophila melanogaster populations. The study used a long-term laboratory selection study to investigate the impact of selection for adult emergence timing on the stability of circadian rhythms. The results suggest that precise circadian rhythms evolve as a response to selection for emergence in a narrow window of time in fruit flies. The molecular and genetic bases of this evolved circadian phenotype remain largely unexplored. The study aims to assess the transcript oscillation of core clock genes involved in the transcription translational feedback loop of the molecular circadian clock in the selected population. Post-translational modifications, such as kinase-mediated phosphorylation of clock protein, play a crucial role in the accuracy of the circadian clock. The study also plans to explore if selection for emergence in a narrow window of time alters the circadian light input pathways of the selected flies. It will also examine the expression of circadian photoreceptors CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) and Rhodopsin 7 in the flies from the selected population. The proposed study aims to gather evidence for or against the hypothesis that stabilizing selection for the timing of circadian clock-mediated adult emergence rhythm percolates to the genetic and neuronal level, leading to finely tuned circadian clock precision.