动物的加密染色体通过一种非常规的光化学机制调解磁接收
Robert J Gegear1, Lauren E Foley, Amy Casselman
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA. robert.gegear@umassmed.edu
Nature
|January 26, 2010
概括
公主蝶的密码染色体 (Cry) 在果磁接收中使用UV-A/蓝光. 这表明动物中依赖光的磁感的非传统机制,挑战了现有的理论.
科学领域:
- 感官生物学 感官生物学
- 生物物理学的生物物理.
- 摄影化学的使用.
背景情况:
- 动物磁感受仍然是感官生物学中的一个重大挑战.
- 众所周知,Drosophila melanogaster的依赖光的磁感受是由加密色 (Cry) 介导的.
研究的目的:
- 为了研究君主蝶密码染色体 (类型1和类型2) 在Drosophila的磁感应系统中的功能.
- 为了确定Cry介导磁接收的光波长要求.
- 为了测试托三合一途径在磁传导中的作用.
主要方法:
- 在Drosophila melanogaster中使用了转基因方法.
- 在Drosophila中表达了君主类型1和类型2的Cry.
- 使用各种光波长 (低于420nm和高于420nm) 测试磁反应.
- 采用Drosophila和君主类型1 Cry的突变形式来评估托三元路径.
主要成果:
- 君主1型和2型Cry都在Drosophila的磁感应系统中成功运作.
- 紫外线/蓝光 (波长<420 nm) 对于磁性反应至关重要.
- 在波长大于420nm时没有磁性反应,这与托芬三元假设相矛盾.
- 一种突变的形式证实了托三合体路径对于磁传导并不至关重要.
结论:
- 动物的加密染色体通过一种非常规的光化学机制来调解依赖光的磁接收,而不仅仅是托三合一路径.
- 多虫转基因是研究跨物种的Cry介导磁敏性的宝贵工具.
- 这项研究提供了关于昆虫和脊椎动物磁感应机制的见解.
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