Isotope Substitution Effects on the Magnetic Compass Properties of Cryptochrome-Based Radical Pairs: A Computational Study.

ABSTRACT: The biophysical mechanism of the magnetic compass sense of migratory songbirds is thought to rely on the photochemical reactions of flavin-containing radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins located in the birds' eyes. A consequence of this hypothesis is that the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the quantum yields of reaction products should be sensitive to isotopic substitutions that modify the hyperfine interactions in the radicals. In this report, we use spin dynamics simulations to explore the effects of ¹H → ²H, ¹²C → ¹³C, and ¹⁴N → ¹⁵N isotopic substitutions on the functioning of cryptochrome 4a as a magnetic direction sensor. Two main conclusions emerge. (1) Uniform deuteration of the flavin chromophore appears t

SUBMITTER: Pazera GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9900586 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature