Circadian rhythms in the CNS and peripheral clock disorders: Human sleep disorders and clock genes

Genetic analyses of circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD), such as familial advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS) and delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), and morningness-eveningness revealed the relationship between variations in clock genes and diurnal change in human behaviors. Variations such as T3111C in the Clock gene are reportedly associated with morningness-eveningness. Two of the pedigrees of familial ASPS (FASPS) are caused by mutations in clock genes: the S662G mutation in the Per2 gene or the T44A mutation in the casein kinase 1 delta (CK1 delta) gene, although these mutations are not found in other pedigrees of FASPS. As for DSPS, a missense variation in the Per3 gene is identified as a risk factor, while the one in the CK1 epsilon gene is thought to be protective. These findings suggest that further, as yet unidentified, gene variations are involved in human circadian activity. Many of the CRSD-relevant variations reported to date seem to affect the phosphorylation status of the clock proteins. A recent study using mathematical models of circadian rhythm generation has provided a new insight into the role of phosphorylation in the molecular mechanisms of these disorders.