Cryptochrome and quantum biology: unraveling the mysteries of plant magnetoreception

Abstract

Magnetoreception, the remarkable ability of organisms to perceive and respond to Earth’s magnetic field, has captivated scientists for decades, particularly within the field of quantum biology. In the plant science, the exploration of the complicated interplay between quantum phenomena and classical biology in the context of plant magnetoreception has emerged as an attractive area of research. This comprehensive review investigates into three prominent theoretical models: the Radical Pair Mechanism (RPM), the Level Crossing Mechanism (LCM), and the Magnetite-based MagR theory in plants. While examining the advantages, limitations, and challenges associated with each model, this review places a particular weight on the RPM, highlighting its well-established role of cryptochromes and in-vivo experiments on light-independent plant magnetoreception. However, alternative mechanisms such as the LCM and the MagR theory are objectively presented as convincing perspectives that permit further investigation. To shed light on these theoretical frameworks, this review proposes experimental approaches including cutting-edge experimental techniques. By integrating these approaches, a comprehensive understanding of the complex mechanisms driving plant magnetoreception can be achieved, lending support to the fundamental principle in the RPM. In conclusion, this review provides a panoramic overview of plant magnetoreception, highlighting the exciting potential of quantum biology in unraveling the mysteries of magnetoreception. As researchers embark on this captivating scientific journey, the doors to deciphering the diverse mechanisms of magnetoreception in plants stand wide open, offering a profound exploration of nature’s adaptations to environmental cues.

Magnetic Field Intervention Enhances Cellular Migration Rates in Biological Scaffolds

“…Analogous ROS investigations have shown the impact of pulsed magnetic fields on mitochondria function [3,12]. Overall, evidence is accumulating that supports the RPM's involvement in altering ROS levels and signaling channels in redox cell biology [3,7,9,12,14,15,18,23,24,[31][32][33][34].…”

“…The RPM has been used to rationalize organism magnetosensitivity [19,20] and avian navigation [21,22], with cryptochrome flavoprotein as a potential magnetic sensor [23,24]. Briefly, the RPM occurs between radical pair (RP) intermediates that can be initialized by either photo-activation or during light-independent redox cycles [9,25,26].…”

‘Seeing’ the electromagnetic spectrum: spotlight on the cryptochrome photocycle

“…Xu et al, 2012;Xu et al, 2014;Agliassa et al, 2018). Evidence for cryptochrome mediated physiological responses to applied magnetic fields in plant, Drosophila, as well as in mammalian cell systems has been recently summarized in this Review Series (Kyriacou and Rosato, 2022;Zhang and Malkemper, 2023;Thoradit et al, 2023) although areas of controversy exists in all of these cases (see eg. Bassetto et al, 2023).…”

Hypomagnetic Conditions and Their Biological Action (Review)

“…However, manifestations of magnetobiological effects in the dark have been described in the literature [90,101,102]. This suggests that the magnetosensitive stage of the reaction may be a reoxidation step with superoxide radicals (FADH• O 2 • − ) [201,202]. Flavin semiquinone, superoxide, and radical scavenger are considered to be a single radical triad system that plays a crucial role in the magnetosensitivity of a cryptochrome [201].…”