Molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm Nobel prize for the year 2017 in the field of medicine or physiology is jointly awarded to National Institute of health grantees ;Jeffrey C Hall, Michael W young and Michael Rosbash for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. Every living organism has a biological clock which helps them to anticipate and adapt to the regular rhythm of the day. The Nobel laureates worked to discover the functioning of the biological clock for which they used fruit flies as the model organism. They isolated a gene responsible to control the biological rhythms of the day from fruit flies and found out that this gene codes for PER protein whose levels vary over 24-hour cycle in synchronization with circadian rhythm. Circadian cycle could be generated and sustained by an inhibitory feedback loop where PER protein could prevent its own synthesis by accumulating in the cell nucleus where period gene activity is blocked. PER protein bounds to TIM protein which is coded by the second clock gene called timeless and enters the cell nucleus where period gene activity is blocked and closes the inhibitory feedback loop. Significant physiological conditions of the body are influenced by the clocks and any dysfunction of clocks would lead to various disorders like insomnia, diabetes or depression. This work helps us understand the clocks better and treat the disorders of the body better.

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