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Published online 24 January 2000 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news000127-4
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A new pacemaker protein?
A newly discovered protein could be the reason why some blind people's body clocks are still susceptible to light. Sara Abdulla reports.
US researchers have discovered a new protein in the human eye that may play a key role in setting our biological clocks. The protein is called 'melanopsin' and it seems to be present in parts of the retina -- the light-sensitive double lining of the back of the eyeball -- that are known to connect to the body's primary, so-called 'circadian' pacemaker.
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