Keynote Speaker

Cells of diverse organisms, from cyanobacteria to humans, execute temporal programs that are driven by circadian oscillators. The circadian clock of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus is a discrete nanomachine comprising three proteins – KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC – which interact progressively to set up the timekeeping mechanism, and two kinases whose activities are altered by engaging the Kai oscillator. The key events that enable the clock to tell time, become set to local time, and regulate global patterns of gene expression and metabolism, rely on these five proteins plus the target of the kinases: a transcription factor, RpaA.  Key regulatory and metabolic features of the circadian clock will be discussed.