A Luciferase Imaging-Based Assay for Studying Temperature Compensation of the Circadian Clock

Abstract

The pace of circadian rhythms remains relatively unchanged across a physiologically relevant range of temperatures, a phenomenon known as temperature compensation. Temperature compensation is a defining characteristic of circadian rhythms, ensuring that clock-regulated processes occur at approximately the same time of day across a wide range of conditions. Despite the identification of several genes involved in the regulation of temperature compensation, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are still not well understood. High-throughput assays of circadian period are essential for the investigation of temperature compensation. In this chapter, we present a luciferase imaging-based method that enables robust and accurate examination of temperature compensation in the plant circadian clock.

Keywords: Arabidopsis; Bioluminescence; Circadian oscillator; Low-light imaging; Period analysis; Temperature buffering.