Rhythm gene discovered University of Utah biologists found a
gene that controls rhythmic events in a worm’s life: swallowing
food, laying eggs and pooping. If the gene is disabled, the
worms can’t swallow, so they die. If the gene is partly restored
so the worms can swallow, they have trouble reproducing and get
constipated. "We have found a gene that is important for the
control of fundamental rhythms in nematode worms," says biology
professor and physician Andres Villu Maricq, a member of the
Brain Institute at the University of Utah. "The same gene
products that control the fundamental processes of life in
mammals also are found in the worm, so our study suggests this
gene and related genes may have critical roles in controlling
rhythmic behaviors in humans and other animals." Discovery of
the gene is reported in the Oct. 7, 2005, issue of the journal
Cell. The study deals with seconds- to hours-long ultradian
rhythms that control such body functions as heart rate,
breathing, swallowing and contraction of