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. 1974 Nov;71(11):4389–4391. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.11.4389

Heavy Water Slows the Gonyaulax Clock: A Test of the Hypothesis That D2O Affects Circadian Oscillations by Diminishing the Apparent Temperature

Martha McDaniel 1,*, Frank M Sulzman 1, J W Hastings 1,†
PMCID: PMC433889  PMID: 4530989

Abstract

In order to test the hypothesis that deuterium oxide acts in circadian systems by simulating a lower environmental temperature, we have examined the effects of D2O on Gonyaulax polyedra, where the period of the circadian rhythm of bioluminescent glow in constant environmental conditions is shorter at 16° than at 22°, and the phase of the glow peak relative to a light-dark cycle is advanced at 16° relative to 22°. Addition of low concentrations of D2O to Gonyaulax does not produce the same effects on period and phase as lowering the temperature; the free running period is lengthened and the phase is delayed. These results show that in the Gonyaulax rhythm, the effect of added D2O is not equivalent to lowering the temperature.

Keywords: rhythms, bioluminescence, dinoflagellates

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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