Pigment pattern formation in the <i>quail</i> mutant of the silkworm, <i>Bombyx mori</i>: parallel increase of pteridine biosynthesis and pigmentation of melanin and ommochromes

Kato, Tomomi; Sawada, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Takayuki; Mase, Kenji; Nakagoshi, Motoko

doi:10.1111/j.1600-0749.2006.00316.x

Cited by 27 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In B. mori, DDC (Hwang et al 2003) has been reported in the full-length cDNA, and both GTPCH I (Kato et al 2006) and yellow (Xia et al 2006) have been reported in a partial sequence. We cloned melanin-synthesis genes using genomic information, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and RACE.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

yellow and ebony Are the Responsible Genes for the Larval Color Mutants of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

et al. 2008

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Many larval color mutants have been obtained in the silkworm Bombyx mori. Mapping of melaninsynthesis genes on the Bombyx linkage map revealed that yellow and ebony genes were located near the chocolate (ch) and sooty (so) loci, respectively. In the ch mutants, body color of neonate larvae and the body markings of elder instar larvae are reddish brown instead of normal black. Mutations at the so locus produce smoky larvae and black pupae. F 2 linkage analyses showed that sequence polymorphisms of yellow and ebony genes perfectly cosegregated with the ch and so mutant phenotypes, respectively. Both yellow and ebony were expressed in the epidermis during the molting period when cuticular pigmentation occurred. The spatial expression pattern of yellow transcripts coincided with the larval black markings. In the ch mutants, nonsense mutations of the yellow gene were detected, whereas large deletions of the ebony ORF were detected in the so mutants. These results indicate that yellow and ebony are the responsible genes for the ch and so loci, respectively. Our findings suggest that Yellow promotes melanization, whereas Ebony inhibits melanization in Lepidoptera and that melanin-synthesis enzymes play a critical role in the lepidopteran larval color pattern.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

yellow and ebony Are the Responsible Genes for the Larval Color Mutants of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

et al. 2008

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“…Drosophila mutants in rosy have brownish eyes (defective red pigment) (25). Furthermore, there is evidence that pteridine synthesis is linked to both melanin and ommochrome synthesis in Bombyx mori (26). In Drosophila, the white gene causes a defect in ommochrome and pteridine synthesis and null mutants have white eyes (reviewed in ref.…”

Section: Genes Of Large Effect Are Responsible For Eye and Pigmentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic basis of eye and pigment loss in the cave crustacean, Asellus aquaticus

Protas

Trontelj

Patel

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

105

140

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Understanding the process of evolution is one of the great challenges in biology. Cave animals are one group with immense potential to address the mechanisms of evolutionary change. Amazingly, similar morphological alterations, such as enhancement of sensory systems and the loss of eyes and pigmentation, have evolved multiple times in a diverse assemblage of cave animals. Our goal is to develop an invertebrate model to study cave evolution so that, in combination with a previously established vertebrate cave system, we can address genetic questions concerning evolutionary parallelism and convergence. We chose the isopod crustacean, Asellus aquaticus, and generated a genome-wide linkage map for this species. Our map, composed of 117 markers, of which the majority are associated with genes known to be involved in pigmentation, eye, and appendage development, was used to identify loci of large effect responsible for several pigmentation traits and eye loss. Our study provides support for the prediction that significant morphological change can be mediated through one or a few genes. Surprisingly, we found that within population variability in eye size occurs through multiple mechanisms; eye loss has a different genetic basis than reduced eye size. Similarly, again within a population, the phenotype of albinism can be achieved by two different genetic pathways-either by a recessive genotype at one locus or doubly recessive genotypes at two other loci. Our work shows the potential of Asellus for studying the extremes of parallel and convergent evolution-spanning comparisons within populations to comparisons between vertebrate and arthropod systems.arthropods | regressive evolution | subterranean | mapping C ave animals have long interested biologists because of their bizarre and other-worldly appearance. Common characteristics of cave animals include the absence or great reduction of eyes, the elimination or near disappearance of pigmentation, and the elongation of limbs (1). These characteristics can be found in cave animals as diverse as salamanders, fish, spiders, shrimp, beetles, and collembolans. Most studies looking at the genetic basis of parallel or convergent evolution examine either closely related species with the same phenotypes or independently evolved populations of the same species with similar phenotypes (reviewed in ref.2). The cave system, however, is unique in that we can examine, and eventually compare, the genetic and molecular basis for the loss of eyes and pigmentation in vastly different (i.e., both invertebrate and vertebrate) taxa.A vertebrate cave fish, Astyanax mexicanus, has been established as an emerging model species for genetic and developmental analyses (reviewed in refs. 3 and 4). Mapping, using this species, has identified regions of the genome that are responsible for caveassociated morphological changes (5, 6). We decided to develop an invertebrate cave model that will provide an independent example of cave adaptation. Of the invertebrates, crustaceans have been particularly succ...

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“…Most research on ommochrome pigments occurred in the 1970's and 80's (Linzen 1974;Needham 1974;Fuzeau-Braesch 1985;Kayser 1985). Since then, there has been some related research on the developmental biology of butterfly wing patterns (Koch 1993;Nijhout 1997;Reed and Nagy 2005), the physiology of mosquito eyes (Beard et al 1995;Rasgon and Scott 2004), and tryptophan metabolism (Kato et al 2006;Han et al 2007). Ommochrome pigments are the main chromogenic class in the pathway from tryptophan to catabolic compounds (Scheme 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic Color Change in a Crab Spider (Misumena vatia): Identification and Quantification of Precursors and Ommochrome Pigments by HPLC

Riou

Christidès

2010

J Chem Ecol

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Mimicry is used widely by arthropods to survive in a hostile environment. Often mimicry is associated with the production of chemical compounds such as pigments. In crab spiders, the change of color is based on a complex physiological process that still is not understood. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the ommochrome pigments and precursors responsible for the color change in the mimetic crab spider Misumena vatia (Thomisidae). A modified high performance reverse phase ion-pair chromatography technique enabled us to separate and quantify the ommochrome pigments, their precursors, and related metabolites in individual spiders. Compounds such as tryptophan, kynurenine, and kynurenic acid occurred only or mainly in white crab spiders. In contrast, compounds such as 3-hydroxy-kynurenine, xanthommatin, and ommatin D occurred only or mainly in yellow crab spiders. Factor analysis ranked the different color forms in accordance with their metabolites. The biochemical results enabled us to associate the different phases of formation of pigment granules with specific metabolites. Yellow crab spiders contain many unknown ommochrome-like compounds not present in white crab spiders. We also found large quantities of decarboxylated xanthommatin, whose role as precursor of new pathways in ommochrome synthesis needs to be assessed. The catabolism of ommochromes, a process occurring when spiders revert from yellow to white, warrants further study.

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Pigment pattern formation in the quail mutant of the silkworm, Bombyx mori: parallel increase of pteridine biosynthesis and pigmentation of melanin and ommochromes

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

yellow and ebony Are the Responsible Genes for the Larval Color Mutants of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

yellow and ebony Are the Responsible Genes for the Larval Color Mutants of the Silkworm Bombyx mori

Genetic basis of eye and pigment loss in the cave crustacean, Asellus aquaticus

Cryptic Color Change in a Crab Spider (Misumena vatia): Identification and Quantification of Precursors and Ommochrome Pigments by HPLC

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