The phosphorylated BMAL1:CLOCK (ARNTL:CLOCK) heterodimer translocates from the cytosol to the nucleus (inferred from mouse homologs) due to a nuclear localization sequence in BMAL1 (inferred from the mouse homolog). In the nucleus, the heterodimer is further phosphorylated and activates transcription of target genes, including core genes of the repressive loop of the circadian clock (PER1, PER2, PER3, CRY1, CRY2) and genes of the secondary loop of the circadian clock (RORA, RORB, RORC, NR1D1) (reviewed in Cox and Takahashi 2019).
Phosphoryation of CLOCK by AKT inhibits translocation of CLOCK to the nucleus (inferred from mouse homologs in Luciano et al. 2018).