V R Bhagwat is an Associate Professor of Biochemisty at Government Medical College, Miraj, Maharashtra. His interests include medical biochemistry, bird watching and nature education.

Many of the biological activities of living organisms are light dependent and revolve around the solar clock. A variety of behaviours and physiological processes are under the control of internal biological clocks. These internal clocks are remarkably synchronized with the external solar clock (day-night cycle of 24 hour periodicity). The molecular mechanisms of biological clocks have recently been uncovered. Although there are several molecules, which have a key role to play in the functioning of biological clo-cks, cryptochromes have been implicated to be of special importance. A detailed study of cryptochromes may provide some answers to problems related to the abnormal fun-ctioning of biological clocks in humans.

Read full article (108 Kb)

Address for Correspondence
V R Bhagwat
Staff Qrts type IV Bldg # 5, Block 4,
Government Medical College
Miraj 416 410 India.