Sabrina E. Sanchez, Ph.D.

Research

The circadian clock is a biochemical mechanism that fluctuates with a period of approximately 24 hours and is coordinated by day-night cycles. Clock genes are ubiquitous and scientists have found that they have varying roles in different tissues. The master circadian clock located in the brain regulates waking and sleeping, and also orchestrates circadian oscillations on peripheral clocks throughout the body. The molecular mechanisms underlying the proper functioning of these systems are conserved across species, and dys-synchrony between them could play a role in a variety of different conditions such as obesity and diabetes. In plants, the clock genes influence most biological processes including photosynthesis, growth, and flowering time. My aim is to identify genes that are involved in the mechanism that allow the central oscillator to regulate so many plant responses. To do so, we in Dr. Kay's lab perform high-throughput screening in the flowering weed Arabidopsis thaliana. The resulting findings may have broader implications, providing insight into conditions related to circadian clock function, such as disorders of sleep and metabolic activity related to obesity and diabetes.