Timing the day: A genomics perspective on circadian clock

The 24-hour (hr) rotation of the earth around its own axis results in daily cycles of light and temperature. In order to synchronize our bodily functions with the environment almost all living creatures, ranging from bacteria to humans, has evolved with an internal biological clock. In mammals, the command centre of the body clock is situated in a specific part of the mammalian brain known as suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) that receives the time-of-day environmental input, integrates the information, and sends the signal to other parts of the body. This intrinsic circadian (approximately one day) clocks align the molecular, behavioural, and physiological processes such as sleep-wake cycles to changing daily environmental conditions. My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that regulate daily timekeeping in mammals. I'm particularly interested in studying the role of genomic elements such as enhancers in regulating the circadian clock. I have adopted a multiomics approach to study the role of gene-regulatory elements in sleep and daily timekeeping. By means of these regulatory elements, my research is addressing the long standing debate on causation vs. correlation between circadian misalignment and neurological diseases.