Marine worms can distinguish the phases of the moon using a special light-sensitive protein. The research was published in the journal Nature Communication.
The biological rhythms of many marine animals are tuned to the changing phases of the moon. Thus, in polychaete worms (Platynereis dumerilii) reproduction depends on the phases of the moon. To do this, they must be able to evaluate the brightness of moonlight and also distinguish it from sunlight. In a new study, scientists found that the cryptochrome L-Cry protein serves this purpose in marine worms. This class of photosensitive proteins is present in different animal and plant species. Previous research had shown that bright light causes cryptochromes to dimerize.
Using cryoelectron microscopy, biologists examined the structure of L-Cry molecules obtained from polychaete worms after they were frozen and exposed to different types of light. It turned out that in the dark the protein is presented in the form of a dimer, which is two identical parts (monomers) connected by an unstable bond. When exposed to bright light, this bond disappeared and the protein split into two monomers. At the same time, less bright light, corresponding to moonlight in natural conditions, activated only one monomer.
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