Bacteria use internal circadian clocks to anticipate seasons, according to research utilising an ‘ice bucket challenge.’ Dr Luísa Jabbur, who recently joined the John Innes Centre as a BBSRC Discovery Fellow, headed a study at Professor Carl Johnson’s laboratory at Vanderbilt University, where cyanobacteria populations were subjected to different artificial day lengths at a constant warm temperature then plunged into ice for two hours. Samples exposed to shorter days achieved survival rates up to three times higher than those exposed to longer days – providing first-time evidence for evolution of photoperiodism in bacteria.

• Read ”Ice bucket challenge’ reveals that bacteria can anticipate the seasons’

Most knowledge about plant circadian rhythms comes from laboratory experiments where inputs can be tightly controlled. An ongoing collaboration between UK and Japanese research teams has helped inform how plants combine clock signals with environmental cues under naturally fluctuating conditions in landmark field experiments. The John Innes Centre and Kyoto University monitored plant gene expression over 24-hour cycles as light and temperature varied, producing statistical models to help predict plants’ responses to fluctuating temperatures.

• Read ‘Innovative field experiments shed light on biological clocks in nature’

A discovery first made in plants has inspired important insights into the malaria parasite’s (Plasmodium falciparum) infection mechanism. Professor Antony Dodd’s group discovered that a sigma factor is necessary for gene regulation in chloroplasts, leading them to wonder whether comparable proteins exist in Plasmodium falciparum. A collaboration between Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagasaki University, and the John Innes Centre identified a Plasmodium sigma factor (ApSigma) that binds to the apicoplast genome and regulates gene expression. The results suggested that ApSigma is essential for the parasite’s survival, offering a future target for malaria drug discovery.

• Read ‘Circadian clock clue to infection mechanism in the malaria parasite’

A collaborative team at Ludwig Maximillian University Munich, the John Innes Centre and Leiden University revealed that soil bacteria have internal clocks, synchronising activities with the 24-hour day and night cycle. The discovery was made by probing gene expression as evidence of clock activity in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, clearing the way for exciting new research – from precise timing of antibiotic use, to bioengineering smarter gut and soil microbiomes. In future, the team will be studying all aspects of the functioning of this bacterium’s clock, supported by an €8.3 million ERC Synergy grant.

• Read ‘Astonishing complexity of bacterial circadian clocks’