Light-dependent magnetoreception: molecular/biophysical basis

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Recent evidence suggests that the magnetic compass sense of a wide range of animals involves a light-dependent biochemical reaction that is sensitive to the alignment of the magnetic field of the earth. Magnetic compass orientation by larval Drosophila melanogaster is being used to investigate the molecular and biophysical mechanisms responsible for the light-dependent magnetic compass. Larvae are trained to orient relative to the magnetic field by exposing them to a directional light source and tested under diffuse (non-directional) light in different alignments of an earth-strength magnetic field. To characterize the biophysical and molecular mechanisms underlying the magnetic compass, experiments are being carried out to investigate the effects of different wavelengths of light and oscillating magnetic fields on the larval response. In addition, mutant strains of larval flies are being used to test whether specific genes, e.g., cryptochromes, are involved in sensing the magnetic field. This research provides training opportunities for one postdoctoral fellow, one graduate student, and 2-3 undergraduate students. The broader impacts of this work include: (1) characterizing a novel biophysical mechanism for sensing the magnetic field of the earth, (2) demonstrating sensitivity of a model organism to a new class of physical stimuli (i.e., radio frequency fields in the ~1-10 MHz range), and (3) developing biophysical and genetic techniques for manipulating access to magnetic information that can be used to identify and investigate the role of magnetic field sensitivity in more complex organisms.