The fine structure of the epidermis and dermal chromatophores in &lt;i&gt;Vipera ammodytes&lt;/i&gt; (L.)

Miscalencu, D; Ionescu, M

doi:10.1159/000144113

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(3 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These characteristics are also found in lizards (Breathnach and Poyntz 1966; Kuriyama et al. 2006), snakes (Miscalencu and Ionescu 1972, 1973; Landmann 1986), and in crocodilians (Richardson et al. 2000; Alibardi 2011a) melanocytes and melanophores that appear to contain only eu‐melanosomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Observations on the ultrastructure and distribution of chromatophores in the skin of chelonians

Alibardi

2011

Acta Zoologica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alibardi, L. 2011. Observations on the ultrastructure and distribution of chromatophores in the skin of chelonians. —Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 00:1–11. The cytology and distribution of chromatophores responsible for skin pigmentation in chelonians is analyzed. Epidermal melanocytes are involved in the formation of dark spots or stripes in growing shelled and non‐shelled skin. Melanocytes rest in the basal layer of the epidermis and transfer melanosomes into keratinocytes during epidermal growth. Dermal melanophores and other chromatophores instead remain in the dermis and form the gray background of the skin. When dermal melanophores condense, they give origin to the dense spots or stripes in areas where no epidermal melanocytes are present. In the latter case, the epidermis and the corneous layer are transparent and reveal the dermal distribution of melanophores and other chromatophores underneath. As a result of this basic process of distribution of pigment cells, the dark areas visible in scales can have a double origin (epidermal and dermal) or a single origin (epidermal or dermal). Xanthophores, lipophores, and a cell containing both pterinosomes and lipid droplets are sparse in the loose dermis while iridophores are rarely seen in the skin of chelonians analyzed in the present study. Xanthophores and lipophores contribute to form the pale, yellow or oranges hues present among the dark areas of the skin in turtles.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Observations on the ultrastructure and distribution of chromatophores in the skin of chelonians

Alibardi

2011

Acta Zoologica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Theoretical studies have proposed testable hypotheses for explaining the variety in pigmentation pattern formation in snakes in terms of cell differentiation, chemically oriented cell movements, and cell proliferation and death (Murray and Myerscough, ; Baker et al, ; Chang et al, ). Identifying types of pigment cells and elucidating the spatial architectures of these cells within skin tissue are fundamental to understanding the genetic and developmental mechanisms for color‐pattern formation (Bechtel, ); however, few histological studies of pigment cells have been conducted to elucidate pigmentation mechanisms underlying dorsal color‐pattern formation in any species of snake (but see Miscalencu and Ionescu, ; Bechtel, ; Kikuchi and Pfennig, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigment cell mechanisms underlying dorsal color-pattern polymorphism in the japanese four-lined snake

Kuriyama

Misawa

Miyaji

et al. 2013

Journal of Morphology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To provide histological foundation for studying the genetic mechanisms of color-pattern polymorphisms, we examined light reflectance profiles and cellular architectures of pigment cells that produced striped, nonstriped, and melanistic color patterns in the snake Elaphe quadrivirgata. Both, striped and nonstriped morphs, possessed the same set of epidermal melanophores and three types of dermal pigment cells (yellow xanthophores, iridescent iridophores, and black melanophores), but spatial variations in the densities of epidermal and dermal melanophores produced individual variations in stripe vividness. The densities of epidermal and dermal melanophores were two or three times higher in the dark-brown-stripe region than in the yellow background in the striped morph. However, the densities of epidermal and dermal melanophores between the striped and background regions were similar in the nonstriped morph. The melanistic morph had only epidermal and dermal melanophores and neither xanthophores nor iridophores were detected. Ghost stripes in the shed skin of some melanistic morphs suggested that stripe pattern formation and melanism were controlled independently. We proposed complete- and incomplete-dominance heredity models for the stripe-melanistic variation and striped, pale-striped, and nonstriped polymorphisms, respectively, according to the differences in pigment-cell composition and its spatial architecture.

show abstract

“…The skin of turtles, crocodilians, lizards, and snakes varies in colour intensity and patterns in different species according to the distribution of epidermal melanocytes and dermal melanophores, lipophores (xantophores and erythrophores), and iridophores (Breathnach and Poyntz ; Miscalencu and Ionescu , ; Szabo et al . ; Bagnara ; Gopalakrishnakone ; Gosner ; Cooper et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrastructural features of skin pigmentation in the lizard Heloderma suspectum with emphasis on xanto‐melanophores

Alibardi

2013

Acta Zoologica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alibardi, L. 2015. Ultrastructural features of skin pigmentation in the lizard Heloderma suspectum with emphasis on xanto-melanophores. -Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 96: 154-159.The morphological origin of the dark and pink-orange areas in the skin of the venomous lizard Heloderma suspectum is not known. Histology and electron microscopy show that dark-grey areas of the skin derived from dermal chromatophores localized in specific areas present underneath the epidermis. A dynamic chromatophoric unit in the dermis is absent. In the darkest areas of the skin, the accumulation of melanosomes in cells of the beta-layer contributes to increase the black intensity. In the orange-pink areas, the superficial dermis contains xantophores storing numerous carotenoid vesicles, rare or absent lamellated pterinosomes and a variable number of melanosomes. These xanto-melanophores predominate over the remaining chromatophores and form a continuous stratum underneath the epidermis. Beneath this lipoid-rich stratum, iridophores are infrequent and do not form a continuous layer in the dermis. In the paler areas of the skin, melanophores are sparse in both superficial and deeper part of the dermis where irregularly oriented bundles of collagen fibrils are present. The prevalent xanto-melanophores localized in the pink-orange areas of the skin contribute to an effective sunlight protection in desert conditions in addition to the darker regions occupied by melanophores.

show abstract

The fine structure of the epidermis and dermal chromatophores in <i>Vipera ammodytes</i> (L.)

Cited by 11 publications

References 3 publications

Observations on the ultrastructure and distribution of chromatophores in the skin of chelonians

Observations on the ultrastructure and distribution of chromatophores in the skin of chelonians

Pigment cell mechanisms underlying dorsal color-pattern polymorphism in the japanese four-lined snake

Ultrastructural features of skin pigmentation in the lizard Heloderma suspectum with emphasis on xanto‐melanophores

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About