title: Pigment patterns in adult fish result from superimposition of two largely independent pigmentation mechanisms.
abstract: Dorso-ventral pigment pattern differences are the most widespread pigmentary adaptations in vertebrates. In mammals, this pattern is controlled by regulating melanin chemistry in melanocytes using a protein, agouti-signalling peptide (ASIP). In fish, studies of pigment patterning have focused on stripe formation, identifying a core striping mechanism dependent upon interactions between different pigment cell types. In contrast, mechanisms driving the dorso-ventral countershading pattern have been overlooked. Here, we demonstrate that, in fact, zebrafish utilize two distinct adult pigment patterning mechanisms - an ancient dorso-ventral patterning mechanism, and a more recent striping mechanism based on cell-cell interactions; remarkably, the dorso-ventral patterning mechanism also utilizes ASIP. These two mechanisms function largely independently, with resultant patterns superimposed to give the full pattern.
authors.affiliation: Aquatic Molecular Pathobiology Group, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ceinos
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guillot
authors.forename: Robert N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Kelsh
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cerdá-Reverter
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rotllant
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics; D008547:Melanophores / Q000378:metabolism; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
keywords: agouti; asip1; chromatophore; dct; iridophore; ltk; melanocyte; melanophore; mitfa; pigment pattern formation; transgenic; tyrp1b; xdh; zebrafish