The Mechanism of Glucose Metabolism in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Chicken Embryos

Abstract

The physiological and biochemical processes of the body are regulated by the circadian oscillators, the endogenous biological timing systems. The molecular mechanism of the circadian clock is composed by a specific set of genes, the “clock genes”, and their protein products through the interlocking transcription-translation feedback loops. There are many circadian oscillators in various tissues and organs most of them are regulated by the central clock (the “master clock”) found in the brain. However, in the retina, the circadian clock is not controlled by the brain. Past studies have found that disruption of the circadian clock can lead to metabolic syndromes, such as diabetes. This study will examine the diurnal profiles of retinal ERK and plasma glucose in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in chicken embryos.