Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
J R Soc Interface. 2010 Apr 6;7 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S241-56. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2009.0459.focus. Epub 2010 Feb 2.
Magnetic compass orientation by amphibians, and some insects, is mediated by a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism. Cryptochrome photopigments, best known for their role in circadian rhythms, are proposed to mediate such responses. In this paper, we explore light-dependent properties of magnetic sensing at three levels: (i) behavioural (wavelength-dependent effects of light on magnetic compass orientation), (ii) physiological (photoreceptors/photopigment systems with properties suggesting a role in magnetoreception), and (iii) molecular (cryptochrome-based and non-cryptochrome-based signalling pathways that are compatible with behavioural responses). Our goal is to identify photoreceptors and signalling pathways that are likely to play a specialized role in magnetoreception in order to definitively answer the question of whether the effects of light on magnetic compass orientation are mediated by a light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism, or instead are due to input from a non-light-dependent (e.g. magnetite-based) magnetoreception mechanism that secondarily interacts with other light-dependent processes.
两栖动物和一些昆虫通过光依赖的磁受体机制来进行磁罗盘定位。隐花色素光色素因其在昼夜节律中的作用而广为人知，据推测它们介导了这种反应。在本文中，我们从三个层面探索了磁感觉的光依赖性特性：（i）行为层面（光对磁罗盘定位的波长依赖性影响）、（ii）生理层面（具有暗示在磁受体中作用的光受体/光色素系统）和（iii）分子层面（与行为反应相容的基于隐花色素和非隐花色素的信号通路）。我们的目标是确定可能在磁受体中发挥专门作用的光受体和信号通路，以便明确回答以下问题：光对磁罗盘定位的影响是否由光依赖的磁受体机制介导，或者是否是由于来自非光依赖（例如基于磁铁矿）的磁受体机制的输入引起的，该机制会与其他光依赖过程发生二次相互作用。
