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Research

Natural geomagnetic variation and magnetic shielding trigger distinct gene-expression responses in a migratory insect

October 10, 2026 (EMFS)

Sep 26, 2026 (original)

Source: Insect Molecular Biology

Source category: Research

Researchers at Nanjing Agricultural University, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' bioelectromagnetics laboratory in Beijing and colleagues in Singapore and Russia, compared gene expression in brown planthoppers reared under geomagnetic intensities matching their migratory route (about 45 and 50 microtesla) and under a near-zero magnetic field. The natural 5-microtesla difference changed 244 genes with a narrow functional footprint, while magnetic deprivation altered around 3,000 genes spanning metabolism, redox regulation and circadian clock genes. Knocking down the candidate gene Cry1 disrupted the insects' daily emergence rhythm. The authors conclude the two conditions may evoke qualitatively distinct magnetobiological states.

Quotes

"The natural-range ~5 μT comparison identified 244 DEGs and a restricted functional response."

— Xie et al., Insect Molecular Biology

"By contrast, NZMF identified 2753-3258 DEGs and enrichment of central carbon and amino-acid metabolism, peroxisomal function, redox regulation and clock-related genes."

— Xie et al., Insect Molecular Biology

"Cry1 knockdown disrupted the diel eclosion rhythm, demonstrating its importance for eclosion timing and limiting this phenotype as a magnetic field intensity readout after knockdown."

— Xie et al., Insect Molecular Biology

"Together, natural-range geomagnetic variation and NZMF exposure may evoke qualitatively distinct magnetobiological response states rather than quantitatively different magnetic environments."

— Xie et al., Insect Molecular Biology

Exposure

"We compared transcriptomes of brown planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), reared under ~45 μT or ~50 μT fields, approximating intensities along their migratory route, or under a near-zero magnetic field (NZMF)."

— Xie et al., Insect Molecular Biology

Location

📍 Nanjing, China

Map: Nanjing, China

Source

Geomagnetic intensity variation and deprivation elicit distinct transcriptomic responses in a migratory insect. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

📄 Underlying Research

Geomagnetic intensity variation and deprivation elicit distinct transcriptomic responses in a migratory insect.

Xie W, Wang Y, Zou L, Qiu H, Li P, Krylov V, Li Y, Pan W, Chen F, Wan G (2026) Insect Molecular Biology Journal Level 1ⓘ

🔗 DOI 📚 PubMed

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