Benefield, Zachary, Bainbridge, Chance, McDonald, Jocelyn, Jackson, Janelle, Nguyen, Ken, Padia, Samantha, Hall, David, Vidal-Gadea, Andres, Barickman, Lucas
[
International Worm Meeting,
2017]
The magnetic field of the Earth provides directional information to organisms across many taxa (from bacteria to mammals). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms necessary for magnetic field detection in animals remain poorly understood, in part, because of the genetic, behavioral, and neurological intractability of the species studied. We previously showed that C. elegans readily orients to magnetic fields of earth-strength through a pair of identified sensory neurons (AFDs). This opens the door for the use of this behaviorally and genetically tractable species in the study of magnetotransduction. Much remains to be understood regarding how C. elegans transduces magnetic information, how this information is encoded, and how it ultimately affects the animal's behavior. Our lab studies the behavioral, cellular, and molecular basis of magnetotransduction in C. elegans. By recording animals orienting to magnetic stimuli, we determined that C. elegans orients to magnetic fields by modulating the frequency of deep bends during locomotion. We found that the integrity and number of AFD sensory villi are critical for magnetic orientation in C. elegans. Magnetotransduction and magnetic orientation in C. elegans function light-independently. We used streptavidin coated magnetic beads and atomic force microscopy to track the potential presence of endogenous magnetic particles in C. elegans. The behavioral, cellular, and genetic tractability of C. elegans offer a unique valuable opportunity to elucidate the mechanism through which animals harness the magnetic field of the earth to enhance their survival.