Challenging the concept that eumelanin is the polymorphic brown banded pigment in Cepaea nemoralis
| Autor: | Holm Frauendorf, Susanne Affenzeller, Klaus Wolkenstein, Daniel J. Jackson |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Snails lcsh:Medicine Population genetics Model system Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Article Melanin 03 medical and health sciences Pigment Animal Shells Animals Grove snail 14. Life underwater lcsh:Science Mantle (mollusc) Melanins Polymorphism Genetic Multidisciplinary Pigmentation lcsh:R Bioanalytical chemistry biology.organism_classification 030104 developmental biology Evolutionary biology visual_art Cepaea visual_art.visual_art_medium Molecular evolution lcsh:Q |
| Zdroj: | Scientific Reports, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2020) Scientific Reports |
| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Popis: | The common grove snail Cepaea nemoralis displays a stable pigmentation polymorphism in its shell that has held the attention of scientists for decades. While the details of the molecular mechanisms that generate and maintain this diversity remain elusive, it has long been employed as a model system to address questions related to ecology, population genetics and evolution. In order to contribute to the ongoing efforts to identify the genes that generate this polymorphism we have tested the long-standing assumption that melanin is the pigment that comprises the dark-brown bands. Surprisingly, using a newly established analytical chemical method, we find no evidence that eumelanin is differentially distributed within the shells of C. nemoralis. Furthermore, genes known to be responsible for melanin deposition in other metazoans are not differentially expressed within the shell-forming mantle tissue of C. nemoralis. These results have implications for the continuing search for the supergene that generates the various pigmentation morphotypes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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