Molecular basis for monarch butterfly migrations

Since its discovery, the annual migration of eastern North American monarch butterflies has captivated the human imagination and spirit. That millions of butterflies annually fly a few thousand miles to reach a cluster of pine groves in central Mexico comprising just 70 square miles is, for many, an awesome and mysterious occurrence. However, over the past two decades, scientists have begun to unveil the journey for what it is: a spectacular result of biology, driven by an intricate molecular mechanism in a tiny cluster of cells in the butterfly brain. University of Massachusetts Medical School Professor and Chair of Neurobiology Steven M. Reppert, MD, has been a pioneering force in the effort to demystify the migration of the monarch. His previous research has demonstrated that the butterflies use a time-compensated sun compass and daylight cues to help them navigate to the pine groves. His studies have shown that time compensation is provided by the butterfly's circadian clock, which allows the monarch to continually correct its flight direction to maintain a fixed flight bearing even as the sun moves across the sky.

Reppert and colleagues were particularly interested in one of these factors: CRY, a cryptochrome protein that was initially discovered in plants and was subsequently found in the fly and the mouse. In the fly, CRY functions as a blue light photoreceptor, allowing light access to clock-containing cells. This enables the resetting of the clock by the light-dark cycle. In the mouse, CRY does not function to absorb light; rather, it is one of the essential components that power the central clockwork enabling the feedback loop to continue. (In the mouse, light enters the clock through the animal's eyes. Given the function of CRY in flies and the role of light in migration, scientists presumed that the monarch's clock would resemble that of the fly. Reppert and his collaborators were stunned and elated to find that the clock of the butterfly was as spectacular as its migration. Genetic studies revealed that the monarch had not only the fly-like CRY, but also another cryptochrome that further tests identified as a new clock molecule in the butterfly. Surprisingly, this cryptochrome, dubbed CRY2, is more similar in structure to vertebrate CRY than to that of the fruit fly. Reppert and colleagues not only discovered the function of CRY2 in the monarch clock, but they also found that CRY2 may function to mark a critical neural pathway from the circadian clock to the sun compass. This clock-to-compass pathway provides an essential link between the clock and the sun compass, as both are necessary for successful orientation and navigation. As Reppert explains, "CRY2 appears to have a dual function-- as a core clock component and as an output molecule, linking the clock to the compass." Sciencedaily News.