The unexpected role(s) of Cryptochrome based magnetoreception

The flavoprotein Cryptochrome (CRY) is now generally believed to be a magnetosensor, providing geomagnetic information via a quantum effect on a light-initiated radical pair reaction between the tryptophan residues of CRY and its cofactor FAD. Despite being non-migratory the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be an ideal living test-tube for the study of CRY based magnetoreception. Previous behavioural studies have shown that in stark contrast to the canonical ‘tryptophan-FAD’ radical pair mechanism, the C-terminus of CRY alone is capable of imparting magnetosensivity to the fly. Here, I will present my current work using electrophysiological recordings of Drosophila neurons to investigate the roles of both the CRY C-terminus and cellular flavins as a non-canonical radical pair based magnetoreception pathway.