{
  "abstract": "Coherent electron-spin dynamics has been shown to modulate flavoprotein fluorescence in vivo, but not the chemistry by which a protein signals. Here we show that a magnetic field modulates formation of the covalent FMN-cysteine photoadduct that constitutes the signaling state of wild-type Avena sativa LOV2 (AsLOV2), via a spin-selective radical-pair reaction. AsLOV2 was thought magnetically inactive, but a fluorescence magnetic field effect (MFE) emerges near 100 mT and reaches 7% by 1300 mT. Tracking the photoadduct by UV-vis absorption, we find that 650 mT raises the signaling state population and shortens the product formation time constant by 6.7 +/- 0.6%. The short FMN-cysteine separation produces a large dipolar coupling that blocks hyperfine-driven triplet-singlet interconversion at low field; the unusually large flavin-cysteinyl radical g-factor difference overcomes it at high field. The same proximity enables covalent bond formation of radical pairs in a singlet state. This arrangement is canonical in LOV domains, so magnetically enhanced signaling likely extends across natural and engineered photoreceptors",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Northwestern University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "W. Salvia"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Straub"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Maity"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Bogdanov"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Chaudhuri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "R. Han"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "S. Han"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2pxkk84w1sgt3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.06.30.735402",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735402v2.full",
  "id": "2pxkk84w1sgt3",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735402v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "biophysics"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Light effects on plants"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167351021",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735402v2.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-06-30",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2pxkk84w1sgt3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:28:34Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.06.30.735402",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.30.735402v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "biorxiv:biophysics",
      "subfield": "biophysics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Quantum transduction from electron spin state to signaling in wild-type AsLOV2",
  "title_text": "Quantum transduction from electron spin state to signaling in wild-type AsLOV2",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:28:34Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2pxkk84w1sgt3",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}