Cryptochrome-1 (CRY1)

Transcriptional repressor which forms a core part of the circadian clock. The circadian clock, an internal time- keeping system, regulates various physiological processes throughout the generation of approximately 24 hour circadian rhythms in gene expression, which are translated into rhythms in behavior and metabolism.

It's derived from the Latin roots'circa' (about) and'diem' (day) and acts as an important regulator of a wide variety of physiological functions such as metabolism, sleep, body temperature, blood pressure, endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and renal function. Consists of two significant components: the central clock, living in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the brain, and the peripheral clocks which are found in virtually every tissue and organ system.