Somatolactin selectively regulates proliferation and morphogenesis of neural-crest derived pigment cells in medaka.
Species-specific colors and patterns on animal body surfaces are determined primarily by neural-crest-derived pigment cells in the skin (chromatophores). However, even closely related species display widely differing patterns. These contrasting aspects of chromatophores (i.e., the fixed developmental control within species and extreme diversity among species) seem to be a curious and suitable subject for understanding evolution and diversity of organisms. Here we identify a gene responsible for medaka "color interfere" mutants by positional cloning. These mutants do not show any obvious morphological and physiological defects other than defects in chromatophore proliferation and morphogenesis. The mutation has been identified as an 11-base deletion in somatolactin, which causes truncation 91 aa upstream of the C terminus of the protein's 230 aa. Somatolactin transcription changed dramatically during morphological body color adaptation to different backgrounds. This genetic evidence explains somatolactin function. Studying this mutant will provide further insights into the development and regulation of chromatophores and clues for reassessing other functions of somatolactin suggested in other fish.
Fukamachi
Shoji
S
Department of Integrated Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8562, Japan. fukasho@k.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Sugimoto
Masazumi
M
Mitani
Hiroshi
H
Shima
Akihiro
A
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D002856:Chromatophores / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D029941:Fish Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009990:Oryzias / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010907:Pituitary Hormones / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D029941:Fish Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010907:Pituitary Hormones; C064448:somatolactin protein, fish