Magnetoreception through cryptochrome may involve superoxide.

ABSTRACT: In the last decades, it has been demonstrated that many animal species orient in the Earth magnetic field. One of the best-studied examples is the use of the geomagnetic field by migratory birds for orientation and navigation. However, the biophysical mechanism underlying animal magnetoreception is still not understood. One theory for magnetoreception in birds invokes the so-called radical-pair model. This mechanism involves a pair of reactive radicals, whose chemical fate can be influenced by the orientation with respect to the magnetic field of the Earth through Zeeman and hyperfine interactions. The fact that the geomagnetic field is weak, i.e., approximately 0.5 G, puts a severe constraint on the radical pair that can establish the magnetic compass sense. For a noticeable change of the

SUBMITTER: Solov'yov IA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2712043 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature