FBXL3 is a gene in humans and mice that encodes the F-box/LRR-repeat protein 3 (FBXL3). FBXL3 is a member of the F-box protein family, which constitutes one of the four subunits in the SCF ubiquitin ligase complex. The FBXL3 protein participates in the negative feedback loop responsible for generating molecular circadian rhythms in mammals by binding to the CRY1 and CRY2 proteins to facilitate their polyubiquitination by the SCF complex and their subsequent degradation by the proteasome. Discovery The Fbxl3 gene function was independently identified in 2007 by three groups, led by Michele Pagano, Joseph S. Takahashi, Dr. Patrick Nolan and Michael Hastings, respectively. Takahashi used forward genetics N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis to screen for mice with varied circadian activity which led to the discovery of the Overtime (Ovtm) mutant of the Fbxl3 gene. Nolan discovered the Fbxl3 mutation After hours (Afh) by a forward screen assessing wheel activity behavior of mutagenized mice. The phenotypes identified in mice were mechanistically explained by Pagano who discovered that the FBXL3 protein is necessary for the reactivation of the CLOCK and BMAL1 protein heterodimer by inducing the degradation of CRY proteins. Overtime Mice with the homozygous mutation of Ovtm, free run with an intrinsic period of 26 hours. Overtime is a loss of function mutation caused by a substitution of isoleucine to threonine in the region of FBXL3 that binds to CRY. In mice with this mutation, levels of the proteins PER1 and PER2 are decreased, while levels of CRY proteins do not differ from those of wild type mice. The stabilization of CRY protein levels leads to continued repression of Per1 and Per2 transcription and translation. After-hours The After-hours mutation is a substitution of cysteine to serine at position 358. Similar to Overtime, the mutation occurs in the region where FBXL3 binds to CRY. Mice homozygous for the Afh mutation have a free running period of about 27 hours. The Afh mutation delays the rate of CRY protein degradation, therefore affecting the transcription of PER2 protein. Fbxl21 The closest homologue to Fbxl3 is Fbxl21 as it also binds to the CRY1 and CRY2 proteins. Predominantly localized to the cytosol, Fbxl21 has been proposed to antagonize the action of Fbxl3 through ubiquitination and stabilization of CRY proteins instead of leading it to degradation. FBXL21 is expressed predominantly in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is the region in the brain that functions as the master pacemaker