203

Magnetoreception in Plants

FIGURE 5.10 Diferential gene expression of roots and shoots selected genes in response to varying MF intensity.

Te data are expressed as fold change in relation to controls (measured at 41 μT). In order to emphasize the visual­

ization of data, fold change values below zero were plotted as −1/value, in order to obtain negative fold change values

(indicating downregulation). Metric bars indicate standard deviation. (From Paponov et al. (2021).)

Cryptochrome modulates ROS in response to weak MFs through an alteration of the rate of redox

reactions in the presence of an MF (Pooam et al., 2020a). Tis efect changes the cellular ROS production

(in the nucleus and cytosol, and possibly also in other organelles) and is proposed to be similar in both

plants and animals. Tus, the primary efect of an MF with respect to cryptochrome function has been

postulated to be the modulation of ROS (Pooam et al., 2020a). Tis mechanism perfectly predicts an

efect on cellular ROS signaling pathways; therefore, this hypothesis explains the ROS-related modula­

tion of gene expression in response to MFs observed in recent studies (Paponov et al., 2021).

5.4 Light-Independent Magnetoreception

As alternative (but less efcient) pathways of photoreduction exist and are known to be active in vivo,

the dark reoxidation is an interesting hypothesis to rationalize these fndings in terms of a single, well-

defned RP (Engelhard et al., 2014). Te FADH^• / O^•

2

− -model is principally endowed with a favorable