Theoretical Concepts in Magnetobiology after 40 Years of Research

Binhi, Vladimir N.; Rubin, Andrey B.

doi:10.3390/cells11020274

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…There is a considerable amount of research investigating magnetic field effects on biological functions 23,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67] . In the following, we review the effects of low-intensity magnetic fields on biology.…”

Section: Magnetosensitivity In Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism

Zadeh-Haghighi¹,

Simon²

2022

Preprint

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A large and growing body of research shows that weak magnetic fields can significantly influence various biological systems, including plants, animals, and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms behind these phenomena remain elusive. It is remarkable that the magnetic energies implicated in these effects are much smaller than thermal energies. Here we review these observations, of which there are now hundreds, and we suggest that a viable explanation is provided by the radical pair mechanism, which involves the quantum dynamics of the electron and nuclear spins of naturally occurring transient radical molecules. While the radical pair mechanism has been studied in detail in the context of avian magnetoreception, the studies reviewed here show that magnetosensitivity is widespread throughout biology. We review magnetic field effects on various physiological functions, organizing them based on the type of the applied magnetic fields, namely static, hypomagnetic, and oscillating magnetic fields, as well as isotope effects. We then review the radical pair mechanism as a potential unifying model for the described magnetic field effects, and we discuss plausible candidate molecules that might constitute the radical pairs. We review recent studies proposing that the quantum nature of the radical pairs provides promising explanations for xenon anesthesia, lithium effects on hyperactivity, magnetic field and lithium effects on the circadian clock, and hypomagnetic field effects on neurogenesis and microtubule assembly. We conclude by discussing future lines of investigation in this exciting new area of quantum biology related to weak magnetic field effects.

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Section: Magnetosensitivity In Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism

Zadeh-Haghighi¹,

Simon²

2022

Preprint

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“…As is believed, MF can cause various, including toxic, effects in organisms [Ghodbane et al, 2013]. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is no convincing physical mechanism that would provide a discernible shift in the probability of an individual act of a chemical reaction in the MF on the order of the geomagnetic field, about 50 µT [Binhi and Rubin, 2022]. One of the mechanisms relates the biological effect of MFs to the presence of magnetic nanoparticles in organisms [Kirschvink et al, 1985;Binhi and Chernavsky, 2005].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Error probability amplification in cellular translation

Binhi¹

2023

Preprint

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During cellular translation, incorporation errors occur. It is the addition of amino acid residues not corresponding to the mRNA code. With an increase in the number of residues in the synthesized molecule, the probability of failure in at least one link increases rapidly, which leads to improper folding and loss of functionality of the entire molecule. A simple mathematical model is presented, which shows that the amplification factor equals approximately the number of links in the sinthesized sequence. We assume that the enzymatic processes of recognition of amino acids and their addition to the synthesized molecule include the formation of intermediate pairs of radicals with spin-correlated electrons. If a weak external magnetic field slightly changes the rate of quantum singlet-triplet conversion, then a significant change in the probability of occurrence of incorrect sequences of ribosomal translation occurs.

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“…In addition to magnetoreception which normally functions under the typically-experienced physiological GMF that ranges in strength from ∼ 24 to 66 μT ( Alken et al, 2021 ), bioeffects induced by magnetic fields outside this intensity range on organisms have also been extensively explored ( Miyakoshi, 2005 ; Saunders, 2005 ; Ghodbane et al, 2013 ; Zhang et al, 2017 ; Tian and Pan, 2018 ; Binhi and Rubin, 2022 ). A magnetic field that is significantly reduced is usually termed a hypomagnetic field (HMF).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The manipulated HMF is frequently used in mimicking magnetic field intensity during deep space flight or celestial exploration ( Binhi and Prato, 2017 ; Zhang Z. et al, 2021 ), working as the sham or manipulated treatment group for research into bioeffects induced by changes in field intensity, magnetoreception mechanisms ( Fedele et al, 2014a ; Binhi and Prato, 2017 ) and paleomagnetic studies ( Qin et al, 2020 ). Bioeffects of HMFs have been a topic of considerable investigation ( Wan et al, 2014 ; Wan et al, 2015 ; Binhi and Prato, 2017 ; Tian and Pan, 2018 ; Wan et al, 2020b ; Zhang and Tian, 2020 ; Zhang Z. et al, 2021 ; Xue et al, 2021 ; Binhi and Rubin, 2022 ), with demonstrated effects on embryogenesis ( Fesenko et al, 2010 ), development ( Mo et al, 2012 ), reproduction ( Wan et al, 2014 ; Wan et al, 2015 ), cytoskeleton structure ( Mo et al, 2016 ), nervous system dysfunction and related behavioral outputs ( Choleris et al, 2002 ; Zhang et al, 2004 ; Binhi and Sarimov, 2009 ), circadian clockwork ( Bliss and Heppner, 1976 ; Fedele et al, 2014a ), migratory regulation ( Wan et al, 2015 ; Wan et al, 2016 ), and reactive oxygen species levels ( Sherrard et al, 2018 ; Zhang B. et al, 2021 ). However, the specific mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying phenotypic responses to the HMF remain poorly understood ( Binhi and Prato, 2017 ; 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliable reference genes for gene expression analyses under the hypomagnetic field in a migratory insect

et al. 2022

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Manipulating the hypomagnetic field (HMF), which is the absence or significant weakening (<5 μT) of the geomagnetic field (GMF), offers a unique tool to investigate magnetic field effects on organismal physiology, development, behavior and life history. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) has been utilized to study changes in gene expression associated with exposure to the HMF. However, selecting appropriate reference genes (RGs) with confirmed stable expression across environments for RT-qPCR is often underappreciated. Using three algorithms (BestKeeper, NormFinder, and GeNorm), we investigated the expression stability of eight candidate RGs when exposed to the HMF condition versus local GMF during developmental from juveniles to adults in the migratory insect pest, the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens. During the nymphal stage, RPL5 & α-TUB1, EF1-α & ARF1, RPL5 & AK, EF1-α & RPL5, and ARF1 & AK were suggested as the most stable RG sets in the 1st to 5th instars, respectively. For 1- to 3-day-old adults, AK & ARF1, AK & α-TUB1, AK & ARF1 and EF1-α & RPL5, AK & α-TUB1, AK & EF1-α were the optimal RG sets for macropterous and brachypterous females, respectively. ACT1 & RPL5, RPL5 & EF1-α, α-TUB1 & ACT1 and EF1-α & RPL5, ARF1 & ACT1, ACT1 & ARF1 were the optimal RG sets for macropterous and brachypterous males, respectively. These results will facilitate accurate gene expression analyses under the HMF in N. lugens. The verification approach illustrated in this study highlights the importance of identifying reliable RGs for future empirical studies of magnetobiology (including magnetoreception) that involve magnetic field intensity as a factor.

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Theoretical Concepts in Magnetobiology after 40 Years of Research

Cited by 35 publications

References 77 publications

Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism

Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism

Error probability amplification in cellular translation

Reliable reference genes for gene expression analyses under the hypomagnetic field in a migratory insect

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