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Biological Timekeeping: Clocks, Rhythms and Behaviour pp 177–192Cite as

The Fish Circadian Timing System: The Illuminating Case of Light-Responsive Peripheral Clocks

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Abstract

This chapter is dedicated to the circadian timing system of fish. In particular, we focus on one unique aspect of fish clocks that is helping us to build a more general understanding of the mechanisms and evolution of the circadian timing system in vertebrates. While in mammals peripheral clocks rely on systemic signals for their entrainment, in fish these clocks are directly light entrainable. Furthermore, in fish the transcription of a set of genes, including key clock genes, is induced upon the direct exposure of cells and tissues to light. We show that studying light-inducible gene expression in fish has revealed how fundamental changes in signal transduction systems have occurred during the evolution of mammals and fish. Furthermore, we explain how blind cavefish can serve as powerful models to further advance our understanding of the complexity of fish photoreceptor systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

    Cristina Pagano, Rosa Maria Ceinos, Daniela Vallone & Nicholas S. Foulkes

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  1. Cristina Pagano
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  2. Rosa Maria Ceinos
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  3. Daniela Vallone
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  4. Nicholas S. Foulkes
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Correspondence to Nicholas S. Foulkes .

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  1. Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Vinod Kumar

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Pagano, C., Ceinos, R.M., Vallone, D., Foulkes, N.S. (2017). The Fish Circadian Timing System: The Illuminating Case of Light-Responsive Peripheral Clocks. In: Kumar, V. (eds) Biological Timekeeping: Clocks, Rhythms and Behaviour. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-3688-7_7

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