Isotopic resonance at 370 ppm deuterium negatively affects kinetics of luciferin oxidation by luciferase

Isotope effects on radical pair performance in cryptochrome: A new hypothesis for the evolution of animal migration: The quantum biology of migration

Mechanisms occurring at the atomic level are now known to drive processes essential for life, as revealed by quantum effects on biochemical reactions. Some macroscopic characteristics of organisms may thus show an atomic imprint, which may be transferred across organisms and affect their evolution. This possibility is considered here for the first time, with the aim of elucidating the appearance of an animal innovation with an unclear evolutionary origin: migratory behaviour. This trait may be mediated by a radical pair (RP) mechanism in the retinal flavoprotein cryptochrome, providing essential magnetic orientation for migration. Isotopes may affect the performance of quantum processes through their nuclear spin. Here, we consider a simple model and then apply the standard open quantum system approach to the spin dynamics of cryptochrome RP. We changed the spin quantum number (I) and g-factor of hydrogen and nitrogen isotopes to investigate their effect on RP's yield and magnetic sensitivity. Strong differences arose between isotopes with I = 1 and I = 1/2 in their contribution to cryptochrome magnetic sensitivity, particularly regarding Earth's magnetic field strengths (25-65 µT). In most cases, isotopic substitution improved RP's magnetic sensitivity. Migratory behaviour may thus have been favoured in animals with certain isotopic compositions of cryptochrome.

An Animal Able To Tolerate D2 O

It is possible to gain a deeper insight into the role of water in biology by using physicochemical variant molecules, such as deuterium oxide (D₂ O); however, D₂ O is toxic to multicellular organisms in high concentrations. By using a unique desiccation-rehydration process, we demonstrate that the anhydrobiotic nematode Panagrolaimus superbus is able to tolerate and proliferate in 99 % D₂ O. Moreover, we analysed P. superbus' water-channel protein (aquaporin; AQP), which is associated with dehydration/rehydration, by comparing its primary structure and modelling its tertiary structure in silico. Our data evidence that P. superbus' AQP is an aquaglyceroporin, a class of water channel known to display a wider pore; this helps to explain the rapid and successful organismal influx of D₂ O into this species. This is the first demonstration of an animal able to withstand high D₂ O levels, thus paving a way for the investigation of the effects D₂ O on higher levels of biological organization.

Dependence of Biocatalysis on D/H Ratio: Possible Fundamental Differences for High-Level Biological Taxons

The kinetics of biological reactions depends on the deuterium/protium (D/H) ratio in water. In this work, we describe the kinetic model of biocatalytic reactions in living organisms depending on the D/H ratio. We show that a change in the lifetime or other characteristics of the vital activity of some organisms in response to a decrease or increase in the content of deuterium in the environment can be a sign of a difference in taxons. For animals-this is a curve with saturation according to the Gauss's principle, for plants-it is the Poisson dependence, for bacteria a weakly saturated curve with a slight reaction to the deuterium/protium ratio toward increasing deuterium. The biological activity of the aquatic environment with reduced, elevated, and natural concentrations of deuterium is considered. The results of the study are presented in different vital indicators of some taxons: the bacteria kingdom-the colony forming units (CFU) index (Escherichia coli); animals-the activation energy of the death of ciliates (Spirostomum ambiguum), embryogenesis of fish (Brachydanio rerio); plants-germination and accumulation of trace elements Callisia fragrans L., sprouting of gametophores and peptidomics of moss Physcomitrella patens. It was found that many organisms change their metabolism and activity, responding to both high and low concentrations of deuterium in water.

Slight Deuterium Enrichment in Water Acts as an Antioxidant: Is Deuterium a Cell Growth Regulator?

Small admixtures in water, e.g. of metal ions, often act as cell growth regulators. Here we report that enrichment of deuterium content in water, normally found at 8 mm concentration, two-three folds increases cell proliferation and lowers the oxidative stress level as well. Acting as an anti-oxidant, deuterium-enriched water prevents the toxic effect of such oxidative agents as hydrogen peroxide and auranofin. This action is opposite to that of deuterium depletion that is known to suppress cell growth and induce oxidative stress in mitochondria. We thus hypothesize that deuterium may be a natural cell growth regulator that controls mitochondrial oxidation-reduction balance. Because growth acceleration is reduced approximately by half by addition to water a minute amount (0.15%) of ¹⁸O isotope, at least part of the deuterium effect on cell growth can be explained by the isotopic resonance phenomenon. A slight (≈2-fold) enrichment of deuterium in water accelerates human cell growth. Quantitative MS based proteomics determined changes in protein abundances and redox states and found that deuterium-enriched water acts mainly through decreasing ROS production in mitochondria. This action is opposite to that of deuterium depletion that suppresses cell growth by inducing oxidative stress. Thus deuterium may be a natural cell growth regulator that controls mitochondrial oxidation-reduction balance. The role of isotopic resonance in this effect was validated by further experiments on bacteria.

Possible Mechanisms of Biological Effects Observed in Living Systems during 2H/1H Isotope Fractionation and Deuterium Interactions with Other Biogenic Isotopes

This article presents the original descriptions of some recent physics mechanisms (based on the thermodynamic, kinetic, and quantum tunnel effects) providing stable 2H/1H isotope fractionation, leading to the accumulation of particular isotopic forms in intra- or intercellular space, including the molecular effects of deuterium interaction with 18O/17O/16O, 15N/14N, 13C/12C, and other stable biogenic isotopes. These effects were observed mainly at the organelle (mitochondria) and cell levels. A new hypothesis for heavy nonradioactive isotope fractionation in living systems via neutron effect realization is discussed. The comparative analysis of some experimental studies results revealed the following observation: "Isotopic shock" is highly probable and is observed mostly when chemical bonds form between atoms with a summary odd number of neutrons (i.e., bonds with a non-compensated neutron, which correspond to the following equation: Nn - Np = 2k + 1, where k ϵ Z, k is the integer, Z is the set of non-negative integers, Nn is number of neutrons, and Np is number of protons of each individual atom, or in pair of isotopes with a chemical bond). Data on the efficacy and metabolic pathways of the therapy also considered 2H-modified drinking and diet for some diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Friedreich's ataxia, mitochondrial disorders, diabetes, cerebral hypoxia, Parkinson's disease, and brain cancer.