0000000000757164
AUTHOR
Zuzana Bosáková
Regulatory Changes in Pterin and Carotenoid Genes Underlie Balanced Color Polymorphisms in the Wall Lizard
ABSTRACTReptiles use pterin and carotenoid pigments to produce yellow, orange, and red colors. These conspicuous colors serve a diversity of signaling functions, but their molecular basis remains unresolved. Here, we show that the genomes of sympatric color morphs of the European common wall lizard, which differ in orange and yellow pigmentation and in their ecology and behavior, are virtually undifferentiated. Genetic differences are restricted to two small regulatory regions, near genes associated with pterin (SPR) and carotenoid metabolism (BCO2), demonstrating that a core gene in the housekeeping pathway of pterin biosynthesis has been co-opted for bright coloration in reptiles and indi…
Supplementary materials from: Body coloration and mechanisms of colour production in Archelosauria: The case of deirocheline turtles
Includes: Table S1 - Elution gradient of UPLC separation, Table S2 - HRAM Q-TOF MS conditions, Table S3 - SRM conditions used for LC-MS/MS determination of the pterins and riboflavin, Figure S1 - Results of analyses of carotenoids, Figure S2 - Chromatograms of standards of pterins and riboflavin, Figure S3 - Distributions of reflective platelets’ orientation and width, Figure S4 - Variation in 2D Fourier power spectra of spatial distribution of dermal collagen fibers of freshwater turtles, Figure S5 Results of Fourier analyses of collagen fibers in yellow zygomatic patch of Trachemys scripta scripta, Figure S6 - Results of analyses of pterins, Figure S7 - Differences in colour between sexes…
Body coloration and mechanisms of colour production in Archelosauria: the case of deirocheline turtles
Animal body coloration is a complex trait resulting from the interplay of multiple mechanisms. While many studies address the functions of animal coloration, the mechanisms of colour production still remain unknown in most taxa. Here we compare reflectance spectra, cellular, ultra- and nano-structure of colour-producing elements, and pigment types in two freshwater turtles with contrasting courtship behaviour,Trachemys scriptaandPseudemys concinna. The two species differ in the distribution of pigment cell-types and in pigment diversity. We found xanthophores, melanocytes, abundant iridophores and dermal collagen fibres in stripes of both species. The yellow chin and forelimb stripes of bot…