Publication Date:
2008-07-22
Description:
Although many animals use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation and navigation, the precise biophysical mechanisms underlying magnetic sensing have been elusive. One theoretical model proposes that geomagnetic fields are perceived by chemical reactions involving specialized photoreceptors. However, the specific photoreceptor involved in such magnetoreception has not been demonstrated conclusively in any animal. Here we show that the ultraviolet-A/blue-light photoreceptor cryptochrome (Cry) is necessary for light-dependent magnetosensitive responses in Drosophila melanogaster. In a binary-choice behavioural assay for magnetosensitivity, wild-type flies show significant naive and trained responses to a magnetic field under full-spectrum light ( approximately 300-700 nm) but do not respond to the field when wavelengths in the Cry-sensitive, ultraviolet-A/blue-light part of the spectrum (〈420 nm) are blocked. Notably, Cry-deficient cry(0) and cry(b) flies do not show either naive or trained responses to a magnetic field under full-spectrum light. Moreover, Cry-dependent magnetosensitivity does not require a functioning circadian clock. Our work provides, to our knowledge, the first genetic evidence for a Cry-based magnetosensitive system in any animal.〈br /〉〈br /〉〈a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2559964/" target="_blank"〉〈img src="https://static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4089621/img/3977009" border="0"〉〈/a〉 〈a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2559964/" target="_blank"〉This paper as free author manuscript - peer-reviewed and accepted for publication〈/a〉〈br /〉〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Gegear, Robert J -- Casselman, Amy -- Waddell, Scott -- Reppert, Steven M -- R01 MH069883/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ -- R01 MH069883-05/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ -- R01 NS047141/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ -- R01 NS047141-05/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/ -- England -- Nature. 2008 Aug 21;454(7207):1014-8. doi: 10.1038/nature07183. Epub 2008 Jul 20.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18641630" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Animals
;
Behavior, Animal/physiology/radiation effects
;
Circadian Rhythm/physiology/radiation effects
;
Cryptochromes
;
Drosophila melanogaster/*physiology/*radiation effects
;
Flavoproteins/genetics/*metabolism
;
*Light
;
*Magnetics
;
Mutation
;
Sensation/physiology/*radiation effects
Print ISSN:
0028-0836
Electronic ISSN:
1476-4687
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
