This may be related to the genetic variation of magnetic induction protein MagR in vivo. 165438+1October16, the website of Nature sent a message to congratulate: Professor Xie Can, a scientist from China, announced a "biological compass" structure with the function of identifying directions in animals-an iron complex (MagR/Cry) composed of a magnetic induction protein named MAGR and a light-sensitive cryptochrome protein. Professor Xie Can's heavy discovery and sharing will open a wave of "magnetic genetics" research based on the biological compass structure in the scientific community. On the same day, the paper "Amagneticproteinbiocompass" written by Xie Can, a professor of Peking University Academy of Life Sciences, was included in NatureMaterials, a sub-journal with an impact factor of 36, and published online. After screening the Drosophila 12536 gene, Xie Can's research team found that the only magnetic induction receptor protein (CG8 198) containing iron-sulfur protein chelate can bind with CRY and can sense the external magnetic field. Based on the magnetic induction ability of this protein, Xie Can's team named CG8 198 as magnetic induction receptor protein (MagR). Animals (butterflies, pigeons, turtles, wolves, etc. ) migration by induced magnetic field. Scientists believe that there should be some kind of protein that can sense geomagnetic field in animals, that is, magnetic receptor protein, but the molecular mechanism behind the protein is still unclear. Until 2008, Nature published an article revealing that there was a photosensitive cryptochrome protein complex (Cry) in Drosophila melanogaster. Once protein is knocked out, the fruit fly's sensitivity to direction will be weakened. Professor Xie Can pointed out that Cry protein is not a real magnetic induction receptor protein because it can't sense the polarity of magnetic field (north and south poles). Some pictures in Professor Xie Can's paper (rodlike compounds can be arranged by magnetic field). What is the reason to help animals point the way? In the past 10 years, scientists used protein's light sensing ability to manipulate neurons, such as inserting an optical fiber cable directly into the brain to regulate the activity of a single neuron. This is the so-called optogenetics. After more than six years' research, Professor Xie Can's team found that compared with optogenetics, magnetic induction receptor proteins have more dominant advantages and can be manipulated by magnetic fields outside the brain. Therefore, the team's major discovery may enable scientists to control cells through magnetic fields. In April this year, Professor Zhang Shengjia of Tsinghua University (now dismissed) obtained the magnetic receptor gene from Xie Can's laboratory, and expressed it in the muscles and nerve cells of nematodes, successfully using magnetic fields to control muscle contraction and nerve activation. Without Xie Can's knowledge, Zhang Shengjia pre-emptively submitted the article to ScienceBulletin (IF 1.579), whose impact factor is much lower than that of Nature (IF4 1.456) and which has the advantage of rapid peer review, and obtained the online publication of the latter in the first time. Therefore, this incident has caused academic controversy at home and abroad. Tsinghua and Peking University jointly sent a letter to the editorial department of Science Bulletin, pointing out that Zhang Shengjia violated academic norms and asked the journal to withdraw its manuscript. Professor Xie Can said that as early as April this year, he had applied to China Patent Application Bureau for patents related to magnetic genetics and MagR protein's ability to manipulate macromolecules. They found that MagR/Cry protein complex exists in many animals, including pigeons, butterflies, whales and so on. He hopes that MagR will have the same function in humans and other animals. Why do some people have a poor sense of direction? He speculated that this may be related to the genetic variation of magnetic induction protein MagR in human body. International academia-How to treat Professor Xie Can's research achievements? According to Nature News, Peter Hall, a biochemist at Oxford University in England, believes that it is obvious that the discovery of biological compass structure is a milestone. Unfortunately, the reaction mechanism of magnetic receptor protein induced magnetic field is not analyzed in the article, and I hope to see further data disclosure by the team. DavidKeays, a neuroscientist at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, is more cautious. This article may be an extraordinary discovery. If it is not established, it is completely wrong. Due to the scarcity of iron ions in protein, people have to doubt the measurability of its magnetic field strength in cells. Regarding the doubts of international scientists, Professor Xie Can said that the article only collated and published the experimental results of the past six years, and hoped that some laboratories would join in and conduct in-depth and extensive research on the genes regulating MagR protein.