OUR PROJECT

The KaiABC system consists of three core proteins that comprise the 24-hour circadian clock endogenous to the cyanobacterium Synechocococcus elongatus. Oscillations are driven by the kinase activity of KaiC and its interactions with KaiA and KaiB which catalyze the cyclic auto-phosphorylation and auto-dephosphorylation of KaiC, respectively. The establishment of a modular circadian oscillator would be a useful tool for synthetic biology. The Kai oscillator can be reconstituted in vitro with purified protein, motivating a previous study to transplant the Kai system into E.coli (Chen et al, 2014). Our aim is to expand this line of research and transplant the Kai system into Saccharomyces cerevisiae, demonstrating this system in eukaryotes for the first time.