Catecholamine metabolism and in vitro induction of premature cuticle melanization in wild type and pigmentation mutants ofDrosophila melanogaster

Walter, Marika F.; Zeineh, Linda L.; Black, Bruce C.; McIvor, Wilson; Wright, Theodore R. F.; Biessmann, Harald

doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6327(1996)31:2<219::aid-arch9>3.0.co;2-u

Cited by 69 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Even for the yellow gene itself, despite the fact that it is known to be required for melanization in Drosophila and Tribolium (Wright 1987;Wittkopp et al 2002a, b;Jeong et al 2008;Tomoyasu et al 2009;Arakane et al 2010;Bray et al 2014), its enzymatic activity has not yet been established. In terms of the position of yellow in the melanin pathway, two different hypotheses have been proposed ( Figure 1): it may be essential for the production of either DOPA melanin (Wright 1987;Walter et al 1996) or dopamine melanin (Wittkopp et al 2002b(Wittkopp et al , 2003. Our present results and another recent report (Liu et al 2014) show that black pigment in the hindwing is dopamine melanin, suggesting that yellow may be involved only in dopamine melanin production.…”

Section: Pigmentation Functions Of Melanin Genes In Oncopeltussupporting

confidence: 49%

“…This is in contrast with previous studies in Drosophila, Tribolium, and Bombyx, in which depletion of ebony, black, tan, aaNAT, or yellow resulted in alteration of melanin patches throughout the body (Wright 1987;Walter et al 1996;Wittkopp et al 2002b;True et al 2005;Gibert et al 2007;Jeong et al 2008;Arakane et al 2009;Tomoyasu et al 2009;Zhan et al 2010;Osanai-Futahashi et al 2012). Hence, the insight from Oncopeltus is that the entire melanin pathway can be split into different sections that are used in different body regions.…”

Section: Pigmentation Functions Of Melanin Genes In Oncopeltusmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…These five genes, including three melanin-suppressing factors (ebony, black, and aaNAT) and two melanin-promoting factors (tan and yellow), are thought to be the main genes in the mechanism responsible for producing different melanin patterns (Wright 1987;Wittkopp et al 2003;Wittkopp and Beldade 2009). Assays in Drosophila have provided functional evidence associating ebony, yellow, and tan with body and wing pigmentation (Walter et al 1996;Wittkopp et al 2002b;Gompel et al 2005;True et al 2005;Jeong et al 2008). In addition, functional studies in Tribolium have also reported the essential involvement of ebony, black, and yellow Tomoyasu et al 2009;Arakane et al 2010), whereas the pigmented phenotype of aaNAT was reported only in Bombyx (Zhan et al 2010;Osanai-Futahashi et al 2012).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assays in Drosophila have provided functional evidence associating ebony, yellow, and tan with body and wing pigmentation (Walter et al 1996;Wittkopp et al 2002b;Gompel et al 2005;True et al 2005;Jeong et al 2008). In addition, functional studies in Tribolium have also reported the essential involvement of ebony, black, and yellow Tomoyasu et al 2009;Arakane et al 2010), whereas the pigmented phenotype of aaNAT was reported only in Bombyx (Zhan et al 2010;Osanai-Futahashi et al 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

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A Pathway Analysis of Melanin Patterning in a Hemimetabolous Insect

et al. 2016

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Diversity in insect pigmentation, encompassing a wide range of colors and spatial patterns, is among the most noticeable features distinguishing species, individuals, and body regions within individuals. In holometabolous species, a significant portion of such diversity can be attributed to the melanin synthesis genes, but this has not been formally assessed in more basal insect lineages. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of how a set of melanin genes (ebony, black, aaNAT, yellow, and tan) contributes to the pigmentation pattern in a hemipteran, Oncopeltus fasciatus. For all five genes, RNA interference depletion caused alteration of black patterning in a region-specific fashion. Furthermore, the presence of distinct nonblack regions in forewings and hindwings coincides with the expression of ebony and aaNAT in these appendages. These findings suggest that the region-specific phenotypes arise from regional employment of various combinations of the melanin genes. Based on this insight, we suggest that melanin genes are used in two distinct ways: a "painting" mode, using predominantly melanin-promoting factors in areas that generally lack black coloration, and, alternatively, an "erasing" mode, using mainly melanin-suppressing factors in regions where black is the dominant pigment. Different combinations of these strategies may account for the vast diversity of melanin patterns observed in insects.KEYWORDS Oncopeltus fasciatus; insect pigmentation; melanin patterning; melanin-promoting factors; melanin suppressors P IGMENT patterns are among the most striking and variable features of insect morphology. An extraordinary diversity in coloration distinguishes species, populations within species, individuals within populations, and different body regions (Wittkopp and Beldade 2009). Most insights into the mechanisms underlying such diversity have come from studies on melanization in Drosophila (Wittkopp et al. 2003;Wittkopp and Beldade 2009). Melanization is the pigmentation process wherein precursors (catecholamines) are converted into pigment molecules that are incorporated into the cuticle (Wittkopp and Beldade 2009). These studies have helped to identify a network of melanin genes and their roles in body color patterning (Wright 1987;Wittkopp et al. 2003;Wittkopp and Beldade 2009). The core part of this proposed pathway is shown in Figure 1. The pathway begins with the conversion of tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). DOPA can then be used in two different manners: to produce DOPA melanin (black) or to be converted to dopamine, another precursor of black melanin. In the conversions from DOPA/dopamine to black melanin, the yellow gene is thought to play an essential role in promoting these processes. However, it is still unclear whether yellow plays a role in producing DOPA melanin, dopamine melanin, or both (question marks in Figure 1). Alternatively, production of dopamine melanin can be suppressed by converting dopamine to N-b-alanyldopamine (NBAD) or N-acetyldopamine (NADA). The NBAD bran...

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Section: Pigmentation Functions Of Melanin Genes In Oncopeltussupporting

confidence: 49%

Section: Pigmentation Functions Of Melanin Genes In Oncopeltusmentioning

confidence: 68%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Pathway Analysis of Melanin Patterning in a Hemimetabolous Insect

et al. 2016

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“…Catecholamines are required for proper melanization and sclerotization of the Drosophila cuticle (Wright 1987;Walter et al 1996). The Ddc gene cluster on chromosome 2 [genetically defined by Df(2L)TW130; 37B9-C1,2;D1-2] contains at least 18 functionally related genes involved in the catecholamine pathway, including Catsup, Ddc, Dox-A2, amd, and l(2)37Ca (Stathakis et al 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting the Difference in Pigmentation BetweenDrosophila yakubaandD. santomea

et al. 2005

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Using quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, we studied the genetic basis of the difference in pigmentation between two sister species of Drosophila: Drosophila yakuba, which, like other members of the D. melanogaster subgroup, shows heavy black pigmentation on the abdomen of males and females, and D. santomea, an endemic to the African island of São Tomé, which has virtually no pigmentation. Here we mapped four QTL with large effects on this interspecific difference in pigmentation: two on the X chromosome and one each on the second and third chromosomes. The same four QTL were detected in male hybrids in the backcrosses to both D. santomea and D. yakuba and in the female D. yakuba backcross hybrids. All four QTL exhibited strong epistatic interactions in male backcross hybrids, but only one pair of QTL interacted in females from the backcross to D. yabuka. All QTL from each species affected pigmentation in the same direction, consistent with adaptive evolution driven by directional natural selection. The regions delimited by the QTL included many positional candidate loci in the pigmentation pathway, including genes affecting catecholamine biosynthesis, melanization of the cuticle, and many additional pleiotropic effects.

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The effect of mutations altering biogenic amine metabolism in Drosophila on viability and the response to environmental stresses

Грунтенко

Chentsova

Богомолова

et al. 2004

Arch Insect Biochem Physiol

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Dopamine (DA) content, tyrosine decarboxylase (TDC) activity and survival were studied under normal and environmental stress conditions in the ste and e strains carrying ebony mutation increasing DA level and the octopamineless strain Tbetah(nM18) of Drosophila melanogaster. Wild-type strains Canton S and Oregon R, and strain p845 from which Tbetah(nM18) strain was derived were used as controls. Sexual dimorphism of TDC activity, DA content, and survival in flies of all D. melanogaster strains under study was found. Tbetah(nM18) mutation sharply reduced TDC activity in females, while ebony had no such effect. DA content and survival under heat stress in Tbetah(nM18) flies did not differ from those in the wild type. ste and e flies had drastically increased DA content under normal conditions, dramatically decreased survival under heat stress, but increased survival under starvation. DA content and survival under heat stress were also studied in the reciprocal hybrids (males) F(1) of the cross D. virilis strains 101 (wild type) and 147 with X-linked mutation, which significantly increases DA content. 147x101 males had a considerably higher DA content and lower survival than 101x147 ones. Individuals of all D. melanogaster strains under study developed the stress reaction, as judged by changes in TDC activity and DA levels. The role of biogenic amines in the stress reaction development and adaptation to environmental stresses in Drosophila is discussed. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 55:55-67, 2004.

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Catecholamine metabolism and in vitro induction of premature cuticle melanization in wild type and pigmentation mutants ofDrosophila melanogaster

Cited by 69 publications

References 29 publications

A Pathway Analysis of Melanin Patterning in a Hemimetabolous Insect

A Pathway Analysis of Melanin Patterning in a Hemimetabolous Insect

Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting the Difference in Pigmentation BetweenDrosophila yakubaandD. santomea

The effect of mutations altering biogenic amine metabolism in Drosophila on viability and the response to environmental stresses

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