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Cryptochromes and activity markers co-localize in bird retina during magnetic orientation

Author

  • H. Mouritsen
  • U. Janssen-Bienhold
  • Miriam Liedvogel
  • G. Feenders
  • J. Stalleicken
  • P. Dirks
  • R. Weiler

Summary, in English

Migratory birds can use a magnetic compass for orientation during their migratory journeys covering thousands of kilometers. But how do they sense the reference direction provided by the Earth's magnetic field? Behavioral evidence and theoretical considerations have suggested that radical-pair processes in differently oriented, light-sensitive molecules of the retina could enable migratory birds to perceive the magnetic field as visual patterns. The cryptochromes (CRYs) have been suggested as the most likely candidate class of molecules, but do CRYs exist in the retina of migratory birds? Here, we show that at least one CRY1 and one CRY2 exist in the retina of migratory garden warblers and that garden-warbler CRY1 (gwCRY1) is cytosolic. We also show that gwCRY1 is concentrated in specific cells, particularly in ganglion cells and in large displaced ganglion cells, which also showed high levels of neuronal activity at night, when our garden warblers performed magnetic orientation. In addition, there seem to be striking differences in CRY1 expression between migratory and nonmigratory songbirds at night. The difference in CRY1 expression between migrants and nonmigrants is particularly pronounced in the large displaced ganglion cells known to project exclusively to a brain area where magnetically sensitive neurons have been reported. Consequently, cytosolic gwCRY1 is well placed to possibly be the primary magnetic-sensory molecule required for light-mediated magnetoreception.

Publishing year

2004

Language

English

Pages

14294-14299

Publication/Series

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Volume

101

Issue

39

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

National Academy of Sciences

Topic

  • Biological Sciences

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1091-6490