The biological clock: Ca2+ links the pendulum to the hands.

The circadian clock in mammals is located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. At the core of the clock are molecular autofeedback loops associated with clock gene transcription. However, the mechanisms of circadian signal transduction are basically unknown. A recent report by Ikeda et al. provides new insights into the intracellular signaling pathways involved in conveying circadian clock information from the core loop to cellular functions. Cytosolic Ca(2+) is proposed to be a key substance linking the 'pendulum' to the 'hands' of the clock.