Do you have the after-hours gene? A genetic mutation called the ‘after-hours gene’ may explain why some people are night owls, it is revealed in Science journal today. It could also hold clues for pharmacologists working to develop drugs to help people adjust to shift work or jet lag. There are further implications for the study of causes of some psychiatric disorders. The altered gene, named ‘after hours’ or Afh, is a variant of a gene called Fbxl3, which had not been linked to the body clock that keeps our metabolism, digestion and sleep patterns in tune with the rising and setting of the sun. The discovery involved scientists from the Medical Research Council Mammalian Genetics Unit, Oxfordshire, the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, Cambridge, and colleagues based at New York University. Pharmaceutical companies are already beginning to study this class of proteins as potential drug targets. By monitoring when and how often the mice chose to run on an exercise wheel the team spotted a change in some of the animals’ normal rhythms. Instead of following the typical 24 hour pattern, some of the mice had body clocks that stretched to up […]