Unveiling the Genetic Secrets of Mealtime Rhythms

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have used fruit flies to study the regulation of daily eating patterns. They found that the quasimodo (qsm) gene helps align feeding with light and dark cycles, while genes like clock (clk) and cycle (cyc) regulate eating/fasting rhythms. Interestingly, molecular clock genes in nerve cells, not metabolic tissues, synchronize these rhythms with day cycles. These findings provide insights into animal behavior and may have implications for understanding and treating eating disorders.