Clock Regulation and Fungal Physiology: Molecular Mechanisms Underpinning the Timely Control of Just About Everything.

Abstract

Circadian clocks enable organisms to anticipate daily environmental changes. In fungi, Neurospora crassa has been the premier model for studying these rhythms, allowing the revelation of intricate phosphorylation dynamics, protein interactions, and the pivotal role of Casein Kinase 1 in clock regulation. FREQUENCY, an intrinsically disordered protein, plays a central role in the spatial and temporal control of N. crassa and coordinates interactions that define clock function at large. Recent findings highlight the extent of circadian regulation in N. crassa and span transcriptional and translational processes that dynamically reshape the daily proteome. Additionally, circadian control of metabolism and organismal interactions has emerged as a vibrant area of research, and multiple efforts have focused on uncovering circadian mechanisms in fungi other than Neurospora. And while the study of Neurospora will remain central to advancing the field, comparative studies across fungal systems offer unique perspectives on the evolution of clock mechanisms and further position fungi as a platform for unraveling the intricacies of complex eukaryotic systems.