Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila.
The possible neurological and biophysical effects of magnetic fields on animals is an area of active study. Here, we report that courtship activity of male Drosophila increases in a magnetic field and that this effect is regulated by the blue light-dependent photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY). Naïve m...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4873040?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1823925271336583168 |
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| author | Chia-Lin Wu Tsai-Feng Fu Meng-Hsuan Chiang Yu-Wei Chang Jim-Long Her Tony Wu |
| author_facet | Chia-Lin Wu Tsai-Feng Fu Meng-Hsuan Chiang Yu-Wei Chang Jim-Long Her Tony Wu |
| author_sort | Chia-Lin Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The possible neurological and biophysical effects of magnetic fields on animals is an area of active study. Here, we report that courtship activity of male Drosophila increases in a magnetic field and that this effect is regulated by the blue light-dependent photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY). Naïve male flies exhibited significantly increased courtship activities when they were exposed to a ≥ 20-Gauss static magnetic field, compared with their behavior in the natural environment (0 Gauss). CRY-deficient flies, cryb and crym, did not show an increased courtship index in a magnetic field. RNAi-mediated knockdown of cry in cry-GAL4-positive neurons disrupted the increased male courtship activity in a magnetic field. Genetically expressing cry under the control of cry-GAL4 in the CRY-deficient flies restored the increase in male courtship index that occurred in a magnetic field. Interestingly, artificially activating cry-GAL4-expressing neurons, which include large ventral lateral neurons and small ventral lateral neurons, via expression of thermosensitive cation channel dTrpA1, also increased the male courtship index. This enhancement was abolished by the addition of the cry-GAL80 transgene. Our results highlight the phenomenon of increased male courtship activity caused by a magnetic field through CRY-dependent magnetic sensation in CRY expression neurons in Drosophila. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T20:06:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9738c055e59242f19d73df11ed989a69 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T20:06:08Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-9738c055e59242f19d73df11ed989a692022-12-21T22:18:18ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01115e015594210.1371/journal.pone.0155942Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila.Chia-Lin WuTsai-Feng FuMeng-Hsuan ChiangYu-Wei ChangJim-Long HerTony WuThe possible neurological and biophysical effects of magnetic fields on animals is an area of active study. Here, we report that courtship activity of male Drosophila increases in a magnetic field and that this effect is regulated by the blue light-dependent photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY). Naïve male flies exhibited significantly increased courtship activities when they were exposed to a ≥ 20-Gauss static magnetic field, compared with their behavior in the natural environment (0 Gauss). CRY-deficient flies, cryb and crym, did not show an increased courtship index in a magnetic field. RNAi-mediated knockdown of cry in cry-GAL4-positive neurons disrupted the increased male courtship activity in a magnetic field. Genetically expressing cry under the control of cry-GAL4 in the CRY-deficient flies restored the increase in male courtship index that occurred in a magnetic field. Interestingly, artificially activating cry-GAL4-expressing neurons, which include large ventral lateral neurons and small ventral lateral neurons, via expression of thermosensitive cation channel dTrpA1, also increased the male courtship index. This enhancement was abolished by the addition of the cry-GAL80 transgene. Our results highlight the phenomenon of increased male courtship activity caused by a magnetic field through CRY-dependent magnetic sensation in CRY expression neurons in Drosophila.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4873040?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Chia-Lin Wu Tsai-Feng Fu Meng-Hsuan Chiang Yu-Wei Chang Jim-Long Her Tony Wu Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. PLoS ONE |
| title | Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. |
| title_full | Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. |
| title_fullStr | Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. |
| title_short | Magnetoreception Regulates Male Courtship Activity in Drosophila. |
| title_sort | magnetoreception regulates male courtship activity in drosophila |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4873040?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chialinwu magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila AT tsaifengfu magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila AT menghsuanchiang magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila AT yuweichang magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila AT jimlongher magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila AT tonywu magnetoreceptionregulatesmalecourtshipactivityindrosophila |