Studies at the cellular and molecular level of magnetoreception - sensing and responding to magnetic fields - is a relatively new research area. As it appears that different mechanisms of magnetoreception in animals evolved from different origins, many questions about the mechanisms remain left open. Here we present new information regarding the Electromagnetic Perceptive Gene (EPG) from Kryptopterus vitreolus that may serve as part of the foundation to understanding and applying magnetoreception. Using HaloTag coupled with fluorescent ligands and phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) we show that EPG is associated to the membrane via glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. EPGs function of increasing intracellular calcium was also used to generate an assay using GCaMP6m to observe the function of EPG and to compare its function with homologous proteins. It was also revealed that EPG relies on a motif of three phenylalanine residues in order to function - stably swapping these residues using site directed mutagenesis resulted in a loss of function in EPG. This information not only expands upon our current understanding of magnetoreception but may provide a foundation and template to continue characterizing and discovering more within the field.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.