NIH R01 · 2025
The mechanism of extra-visual circadian photoentrainment in mammals
Project Summary. Direct exposure to sunlight subjects cells to potentially damaging solar radiation. For superficial tissues such as the cornea, retina, and skin this is unavoidable. Biological circadian rhythms have evolved as a way to anticipate sunlight: by synchronizing cellular and behavioral rhythms to the 24-hour solar cycle, or “photoentrainment”. Most tissues in mammals contain an autonomous molecular circadian clock, and many of these are synchronized by the brain's central clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). However, we have found that some tissues located near the body's surface, such as skin and retina, have an ability to directly synchronize their local circadian clocks…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.