Clites Benjamin L, Pierce Jonathan T
Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Brain, Behavior and Evolution, Center for Learning and Memory, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, and Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712; email:
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2017 Jul 25;40:231-250. doi: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-072116-031312.
Diverse animals ranging from worms and insects to birds and turtles perform impressive journeys using the magnetic field of the earth as a cue. Although major cellular and molecular mechanisms for sensing mechanical and chemical cues have been elucidated over the past three decades, the mechanisms that animals use to sense magnetic fields remain largely mysterious. Here we survey progress on the search for magnetosensory neurons and magnetosensitive molecules important for animal behaviors. Emphasis is placed on magnetosensation in insects and birds, as well as on the magnetosensitive neuron pair AFD in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We also review conventional criteria used to define animal magnetoreceptors and suggest how approaches used to identify receptors for other sensory modalities may be adapted for magnetoreceptors. Finally, we discuss prospects for underutilized and novel approaches to identify the elusive magnetoreceptors in animals.
从蠕虫、昆虫到鸟类和海龟等各种动物，都能利用地球磁场作为线索进行令人惊叹的旅程。尽管在过去三十年里，人们已经阐明了感知机械和化学线索的主要细胞和分子机制，但动物感知磁场的机制在很大程度上仍然是个谜。在这里，我们综述了在寻找对动物行为重要的磁感受神经元和磁敏分子方面的进展。重点放在昆虫和鸟类的磁感受上，以及线虫秀丽隐杆线虫中的磁敏神经元对AFD上。我们还回顾了用于定义动物磁受体的传统标准，并提出如何将用于识别其他感官模式受体的方法应用于磁受体。最后，我们讨论了利用未充分利用的新方法来识别动物中难以捉摸的磁受体的前景。
