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Angular Precision of Radical Pair Compass Magnetoreceptors

The light-dependent magnetic compass sense of night-migratory songbirds is thought to rely on magnetically sensitive chemical reactions of radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins located in the birds’ eyes. Recently, an information theory approach was developed that provides a strict lower bound on t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ren, Yi, Hiscock, Hamish G., Hore, P.J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Biophysical Society 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7896030/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33421412
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2020.12.023
Descripción
Sumario:The light-dependent magnetic compass sense of night-migratory songbirds is thought to rely on magnetically sensitive chemical reactions of radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins located in the birds’ eyes. Recently, an information theory approach was developed that provides a strict lower bound on the precision with which a bird could estimate its head direction using only geomagnetic cues and a cryptochrome-based radical pair sensor. By means of this lower bound, we show here how the performance of the compass sense could be optimized by adjusting the orientation of cryptochrome molecules within photoreceptor cells, the distribution of cells around the retina, and the effects of the geomagnetic field on the photochemistry of the radical pair.