36 渦鞭毛藻Gonyaulax polyedraの概日性リズムに関する研究(口頭発表の部)  [in Japanese] 36 Studies on circadian rhythms of the dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra  [in Japanese]

The circadian clock is considered to be a univerasal feature of eucaryotic organisms, controlling the occurrence and rates of many different aspects of life, ranging from single enzymatic reactions and metabolism to complex behaviours such as activity and rest. Although the nature of the underlying cellular/biochemical oscillator is still unknown, many substances such as inhibitors of protein synthesis and D_2O are known to influence either phase or period of circadian rhythms in differnt organisms. We have found that the period of free-running circadian rhythms in the unicellular marine alga Gonyauloax polyedra is shortened by extracts from several organisms including bovine brain and muscle and Gonyaulax polyedra itself. The effect is dose dependent, accelerating the circadian clock up to 4 hours per day. The exogenous period-shortening substance has been isolated from bovine muscle and identified as creatine. The endogenous period-shortening substance, gonyaulin, has been obtained from Gonyaulax itself and the structure has been determined to be 1 on the basis of the spectroscopic data and confirmed by total synthesis from 4.