Carla Green facts for kids

Carla Beth Green (born 1962) is an American scientist who studies the brain (a neurobiologist) and how living things keep time (a chronobiologist). She is a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She used to be the president of a group called the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR). She is also a member of the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine in Japan.

Her research focuses on the body's internal circadian clock. This clock helps control daily patterns, like when you feel sleepy or awake. She studies how this clock works inside cells using tiny molecular parts. Dr. Green's lab wants to understand how the circadian clock works in mammals. They also study how it affects the body's daily functions, chemical processes, and behavior.

Dr. Green has trained in many areas of science. These include cell biology (studying cells), biochemistry (studying life's chemicals), and molecular biology (studying tiny molecules). This wide range of skills has helped her explore new fields. These include genomics (studying genes), proteomics (studying proteins), and how the body uses energy (metabolic studies).

Besides her scientific work, she also helps the larger science community. In 2019, she helped organize an event called "GRC Power Hour." This event was designed to help women and minorities in STEM fields. It also encouraged everyone to grow professionally by offering a place for discussion and advice.

About Dr. Carla Green

Carla Green was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming on May 14, 1962. Her family moved often when she was young. They lived in Colorado, Minnesota, and finally settled in Springfield, Missouri. She stayed in Springfield through her teenage years.

She went to Southwest Missouri State University. There, she earned her first degree in biology in 1984. She continued her studies and received her master's degree in biology in 1986. After that, Dr. Green moved to Kansas City. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

From 1991 to 1996, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow. She studied how circadian rhythms work in the eyes of a frog called Xenopus laevis. In 1997, she became a professor at the University of Virginia. She kept studying circadian rhythms in both frogs and mammals. She looked at how the body's internal clock works at a tiny, cellular level.

Dr. Green first learned about chronobiology (the study of biological rhythms) when she was a graduate student. She heard a talk by Joseph Besharse, who was studying circadian clocks in the eyes of Xenopus frogs. At that time, scientists didn't know much about how these clocks worked at a molecular level. Dr. Green, with her background in biochemistry and molecular biology, thought this was a perfect field to use her skills. She joined his lab and has been studying circadian clocks ever since.

Dr. Green is married to Joseph Takahashi. He is also a scientist and leads the Neuroscience Department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Green's Career

Her Jobs Over Time

• 1995-1997: Research Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center
• 1997-2003: Assistant Professor, University of Virginia
• 2003-2007: Associate Professor, University of Virginia
• 2007-2009: Professor, University of Virginia
• 2009–present: Professor, UT Southwestern

Her Research Work

Dr. Green is currently a principal investigator (meaning she leads a research lab) at UT Southwestern. Her lab studies how circadian rhythms work in mammals. They are especially interested in how genes are controlled after they are copied (post-transcriptional processes).

The Green Lab has three main research areas:

• Understanding a protein called Nocturnin and how it affects daily rhythms.
• Looking at how the body's energy use (metabolism) is linked to Nocturnin.
• Studying a protein called Cryptochrome and how it helps control the length of the circadian day.

What is Nocturnin?

A big part of the Green lab's work is on a protein called Nocturnin. This protein is named "Nocturnin" because it is found in high amounts at night. Nocturnin helps break down parts of mRNA. This suggests it plays a role in how stable mRNA is and how genes are expressed in a daily rhythm. This process is important for the body's metabolism and for an organism to survive.

In 1996, Dr. Green found nocturnin in the eyes of Xenopus laevis frogs. She saw that the Noc mRNA (the message that tells the cell to make Nocturnin) showed a daily rhythm. In 2001, Dr. Green found similar Noc genes in other animals, like mice. Her group has shown that even though Noc doesn't directly control the main clock genes, it is needed for the clock to work properly. This means it helps with the body's daily functions.

The rhythmic presence of nocturnin is seen throughout the body. It is especially found in important metabolic areas like the liver and intestines. In 2011, Dr. Green and her team showed that different types of Noc can affect bone formation (osteogenesis), fat creation (lipogenesis), and fat cell development (adipogenesis).

Her lab's current work is to find out which specific mRNAs Nocturnin affects. They also want to understand how it controls their expression in a daily rhythm.

How Genes are Controlled After Copying

In 2011, Dr. Green's lab found that both gene copying (transcriptional) and later processes (post-transcriptional) are needed for strong daily rhythms of mRNA. However, scientists knew much less about post-transcriptional control. This was because it was hard to study many genes at once. Dr. Green's team believes that developing new ways to study these processes will lead to many new discoveries.

Dr. Green's findings have been important for newer research. More recent discoveries in 2016, inspired by her work, link post-transcriptional control to human circadian systems. This is important for understanding sleep disorders.

What is Cryptochrome?

Dr. Green's lab has also focused a lot on proteins called cryptochromes. These proteins are like "blue light sensors" found in plants and animals. Cryptochrome proteins are very important for the circadian clock to work correctly in insects and mammals. They also help plants grow properly.

Dr. Green's research on cryptochromes started in 2003. She and her colleagues studied how cryptochrome stops other clock genes, like CLOCK and BMAL1, from turning on. They found that a part of Cryptochrome, called the C-terminal domain, is needed for the protein to get into the cell's nucleus. If this part is missing, the protein cannot stop the other genes.

Dr. Green has also studied how the brain's main clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) talks to other clocks in the body. Cryptochrome plays a key role in this. For example, a stress hormone called glucocorticoid can activate the Cry1 gene. In mice that don't have Cry1 or Cry2, regular feeding times can still create daily rhythms in many genes, especially those related to metabolism. This shows how clocks in other parts of the body can work even if the main brain clock is not fully active.

More recently, in 2018, Dr. Green helped discover a new helper molecule. This molecule helps control the clock by directly interacting with CLOCK and BMAL1. This study helps explain how cryptochrome proteins have changed over time.

Awards and Honors

• 1990: Joe R. Kimmel Research Award for Outstanding Research, University of Kansas Medical Center. This award is for excellent research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
• 1997: C.J. Herrick Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Comparative Neurobiology. This award recognizes young researchers who have made important contributions to the study of brain structure and show promise for future success.
• 2005: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Fellows are chosen for their achievements across different science fields and their dedication to advancing science.
• 2009: Distinguished Scholar in Neuroscience, UT Southwestern.