The magnetic field-dependent fluorescence of MagLOV2 in live bacterial cells is consistent with the radical pair mechanism

2026 · doi:10.64898/2026.02.18.706690
preprint OA: closed
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This study examined how fluorescence from the engineered flavoprotein MagLOV2 in live E. coli colonies depends on the strength of externally applied magnetic fields, quantifying the “magnetic field effect” across a range of field strengths. The authors found a non-monotonic response: the magnetic field effect was positive at low fields, peaked near 1 mT, decreased and reversed sign at around 2 mT, and then plateaued above about 70 mT with reduced sensitivity. They interpret this pattern as consistent with electron spin-dependent chemical processes governed by the radical pair mechanism. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

MagLOV2 is an engineered flavoprotein designed to have large changes in fluorescence intensity in response to weak magnetic fields. Here, we characterize the magnitude of these fluorescence changes, known as the “magnetic field effect,” as a function of the strength of an externally applied magnetic field in E. coli colonies expressing MagLOV2. We observe that the magnetic field effect is positive at low magnetic fields, reaches a maximum positive value near 1 mT, and then decreases, reversing sign at approximately 2 mT. Furthermore, the effect starts to plateau above approximately 70 mT, with a decreased sensitivity of fluorescence changes to magnetic fields above this range. The non-monotonic behavior, as well as the diminished responsiveness to higher magnetic fields, are consistent with the changes in fluorescence being driven by electron spin-dependent chemical processes governed by the radical pair mechanism.
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Abstract MagLOV2 is an engineered flavoprotein designed to have large changes in fluorescence intensity in response to weak magnetic fields. Here, we characterize the magnitude of these fluorescence changes, known as the “magnetic field effect,” as a function of the strength of an externally applied magnetic field in E. coli colonies expressing MagLOV2. We observe that the magnetic field effect is positive at low magnetic fields, reaches a maximum positive value near 1 mT, and then decreases, reversing sign at approximately 2 mT. Furthermore, the effect starts to plateau above approximately 70 mT, with a decreased sensitivity of fluorescence changes to magnetic fields above this range. The non-monotonic behavior, as well as the diminished responsiveness to higher magnetic fields, are consistent with the changes in fluorescence being driven by electron spin-dependent chemical processes governed by the radical pair mechanism. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

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