Abstract
Drosophila’s circadian clock can be perturbed by magnetic fields, as well as by lithium administration. Cryptochromes are critical for the circadian clock. Further, the radical pairs in cryptochrome also can explain magnetoreception in animals. Based on a simple radical pair mechanism model of the animal magnetic compass, we show that both magnetic fields and lithium can influence the spin dynamics of the naturally occurring radical pairs and hence modulate the circadian clock’s rhythms. Using a simple chemical oscillator model for the circadian clock, we show that the spin dynamics influence a rate in the chemical oscillator model, which translates into a change in the circadian period. Our model can reproduce the results of two independent experiments, magnetic field and lithium effects on the circadian clock. Our model predicts that stronger magnetic fields would shorten the clock’s period. We also predict that lithium influences the clock in an isotope-dependent manner. Furthermore, our model also predicts that magnetic fields and hyperfine interactions modulate oxidative stress. The findings of this work suggest that the quantum nature of radical pairs might play roles in the brain, as another piece of evidence in addition to recent results on xenon anesthesia and lithium effects on hyperactivity.
Highlights
Drosophila’s circadian clock can be perturbed by magnetic fields, as well as by lithium administration
Taking into account the facts that the CC is associated with oxidative stress levels under light e xposure[45,46,64,73,74] and applied M F75,76, and the CC is affected by lithium intake, we propose that the applied magnetic field interacts with the spins of radical pairs (RPs) on FADH and superoxide, and the nuclear spin of lithium modulates the spin state of the radical on superoxide
We aimed to probe whether a RP model can explain the experimental findings for both the effects of static magnetic field[25] and lithium[40] on the circadian clock in Drosophila
Summary
Drosophila’s circadian clock can be perturbed by magnetic fields, as well as by lithium administration. Based on a simple radical pair mechanism model of the animal magnetic compass, we show that both magnetic fields and lithium can influence the spin dynamics of the naturally occurring radical pairs and modulate the circadian clock’s rhythms. Our model can reproduce the results of two independent experiments, magnetic field and lithium effects on the circadian clock. Despite the differences in molecular components of the CCs, their features, organization, and the molecular mechanism that generate rhythmicity are very alike across o rganisms[9] Environmental cues such as light, food, and temperature can modulate the rhythmicity of the C C10. Dokucu et al.[40] showed that in Drosophila lithium lengthens the period of the CC Based on these findings, we propose a mechanism that can explain both the MF effects and lithium effects on Drosophila’s CC. TIM and PER are gradually degraded, and CLK/CYC are released from repression to start a new cycle
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