Clarification of interplay between pigment cells in stripe formation
a step toward elucidation of mechanism of skin pigmentation patterns in animals
Under the leadership of KONDO Shigeru , Professor, Pattern Formation Group, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, a group of researchers succeeded in clarifying that changes in the cell's membrane potential caused by contact with pigment cells contributed to the generation of the stripe pattern in zebrafish.
The mechanism involved in molecular interaction network for skin pigmentation patterns formation is unclear. To clarify the mechanism, this group conducted research using small tropical fish, zebrafish. Zebrafish have a black and yellow skin pattern consisting of 2 types of pigment cells, melanophores (black) and xanthophores (yellow).
From previous research results, functional coordination of these pigment cells was found to be necessary for stripe formation, but the detailed mechanism had not been clarified. In order to clarify the molecular mechanism involved in this stripe formation, the group conducted research using jaguar mutant fish with abnormal stripe formation. In normal zebrafish stripes, melanophores and xanthophores, are segregated and borders are clear; however, in fish with the jaguar [mutant] gene, the separation is incomplete and the stripes are fuzzy.
The group observed the pigment cells from these fish in a petri dish and found that, in normal zebrafish cells, when a xanthophore was in contact with a melanophore, the membrane potential in melanophore changed and the melanophore repulsively moved away from the xanthophore. From these results, repulsive behavior controlled by membrane potential is important for the clear stripe patterning.
Further research into the interplay will lead to the possible clarification of the basic principle of the formation of patterns such as stripes and spots and of evolutionary processes in the diverse skin patterns of animals.
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To read more about this potentially important discovery, please read the full research report entitled " Pigment Pattern Formation by Contact-Dependent Depolarization " at this page at the Science website.
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