Signaling mediated by the dopamine D2 receptor potentiates circadian regulation by CLOCK:BMAL1

Environmental cues modulate a variety of intracellular pathways whose signaling is integrated by the molecular mechanism that constitutes the circadian clock. Although the essential gears of the circadian machinery have been elucidated, very little is known about the signaling systems regulating it. Here, we report that signaling mediated by the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) enhances the transcriptional capacity of the CLOCK:BMAL1 complex. This effect involves the mitogen-activated protein kinase transduction cascade and is associated with a D2R-induced increase in the recruiting and phosphorylation of the transcriptional coactivator cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) binding protein. Importantly, CLOCK:BMAL1-dependent activation and light-inducibility of mPer1 gene transcription is drastically dampened in retinas of D2R-null mice. Because dopamine is the major catecholamine in the retina, central for the neural adaptation to light, our findings establish a physiological link among photic input, dopamine signaling, and the molecular clock machinery

The Importance of Intellectual Capital for Firm Performance: Evidence from Australia

This study investigates the dynamic relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and firm performance (FP) through system generalized methods of moments, when previous studies produced divergent results based on static OLS or fixed-effects estimations. Based on 571 listed firms in Australia for the period of 2005–2014 (5518 firm-years) this study reveals that IC efficiency is positively significant with ROA and ROE – which endorses resource-based theory. Further analysis shows that human capital, structural capital and physical capital are also significant and confidently endorse resource-dependency and organisation-learning theories. The findings of this study are vital for stakeholders such as management, shareholders and potential investors to understand the role of IC for FP. Moreover, the findings are particularly important for policy-setters to highlight the importance of IC and develop a systematic framework for IC disclosure. This study also opens new avenues for future research to consider the dynamic nature of the IC–FP relationship and account for endogeneity