Data from: Near absence of differential gene expression in the retina of rainbow trout after exposure to a magnetic pulse: implications for magnetoreception

The ability to perceive Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetoreception,
exists in numerous animals. Although the mechanism underlying
magnetoreception has not been clearly established in any species, in
salmonid fish it is hypothesized to occur by means of crystals of
magnetite associated with nervous tissue such as the brain, olfactory
organ, or retina. In this study, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were
exposed to a brief magnetic pulse known to disrupt magnetic orientation
behavior in several animals. Changes in gene expression induced by the
pulse were then examined in the retina. Analyses indicated that the pulse
elicited differential expression of only a single gene, gamma-crystallin
M3-like (crygm3). The near-absence of an effect of the magnetic pulse on
gene expression in the retina stands in sharp contrast to a recent study
in which 181 genes were differentially expressed in brain tissue of O.
mykiss after exposure to the same pulse. Overall, our results suggest
either that magnetite-based magnetoreceptors in trout are not located in
the retina, or else that they are unaffected by magnetic pulses that can
disrupt magnetic orientation behavior in animals.