Transcriptome expressed in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus

This array set was used to identify the genes that are highly expressed in the mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Because pharmacological inhibition of Gai/o activity with pertussis toxin hampers intercellular synchronization and causes dampened rhythms of the entire SCN, we hypothesized that member(s) of the Regulator of G protein Signaling (RGS) family might contribute to synchronized cellular oscillations in the SCN. To test this hypothesis, we surveyed all known mouse Rgs genes for their expression by using GeneChip and selected the genes that are highly expressed in the SCN for further analysis. 12h light:12h dark cycle entrained animals were released into constant darkess. SCN punches were taken from 10 animals at CT2 and 10 animals at CT14, pooled together, and subjected to DNA microarray analysis. CT2 and CT14 correspond, respectively, to 2 and 14 hours after presumptive onset of daytime under constant darkness.