scholarly journals Analysis of pigment cell composition, pigment content, tyrosinase content and activity of three kinds of loaches, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus from Poyang Lake

Author(s):  
Junqing Sheng ◽  
Le Guan ◽  
Bin Sheng ◽  
Shiyu Geng ◽  
Di Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract Loaches, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, from Poyang Lake are a small economic fish, falling into three categories with typical blackspot characteristics, namely, big blackspot loaches (BBL), small blackspot loaches (SBL), and non-blackspot loaches (NBL), respectively. Pigment cell composition, pigment content, tyrosinase content and activity of three kinds of loaches were investigated. Our results showed that there were three types of skin pigment cells, namely, melanophores, xanthophores and iridophores. Melanophores in dorsum were more than in abdomen. Melanophore cytosomes in BBL were larger than those in SBL and NBL, and melanosomes were the largest in stage four. The melanophores in dorsal skin of SBL or NBL were small cell bodies, spindle-like, and in chain distribution. There was an extremely significant difference in melanin content in BBL between the dorsum and abdomen (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in melanin abdominal content, lutein and carotenoid contents among three kinds of loaches (P > 0.05). In dorsal skin, tyrosinase content was the highest in BBL, and it was significantly lower in NBL than in BBL and SBL (P < 0.01). This study reveals differences in pigment and tyrosinase content in three kinds of loaches and provides a theoretical basis for further study of the mechanism of black spot formation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-24
Author(s):  
Bibek Dutta ◽  
Taichi Asami ◽  
Tohru Imatomi ◽  
Kento Igarashi ◽  
Kento Nagata ◽  
...  

Abstract Transgenic expression in medaka of the Xiphophorus oncogene xmrk, under a pigment cell specific mitf promoter, induces hyperpigmentation and pigment cell tumors. In this study, we crossed the Hd-rR and HNI inbred strains because complete genome information is readily available for molecular and genetic analysis. We prepared an Hd-rR (p53+/−, p53−/−) and Hd-rR HNI hybrid (p53+/−) fish-based xmrk model system to study the progression of pigment cells from hyperpigmentation to malignant tumors on different genetic backgrounds. In all strains examined, most of the initial hyperpigmentation occurred in the posterior region. On the Hd-rR background, mitf:xmrk-induced tumorigenesis was less frequent in p53+/− fish than in p53−/− fish. The incidence of hyperpigmentation was more frequent in Hd-rR/HNI hybrids than in Hd-rR homozygotes; however, the frequency of malignant tumors was low, which suggested the presence of a tumor suppressor in HNI genetic background fish. The effects on tumorigenesis in xmrk-transgenic immature medaka of a single 1.3 Gy irradiation was assessed by quantifying tumor progression over 4 consecutive months. The results demonstrate that irradiation has a different level of suppressive effect on the frequency of hyperpigmentation in purebred Hd-rR compared with hybrids.


Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Most Naznin ◽  
Mark Lefsrud ◽  
Valerie Gravel ◽  
Md Azad

The aim of this study was to investigate the different combinations of red (R) and blue (B) light emitting diode (LEDs’) lighting effects on growth, pigment content, and antioxidant capacity in lettuce, spinach, kale, basil, and pepper in a growth chamber. The growth chamber was equipped with R and B light percentages based on total light intensity: 83% R + 17% B; 91% R + 9% B; 95% R + 5% B; and control was 100% R. The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD), photoperiod, temperature, and relative humidity of the growth chamber were maintained at 200 ± 5 μmol m−2 s−1, 16 h, 25/21 ± 2.5 °C, and 65 ± 5%, respectively. It is observed that the plant height of lettuce, kale, and pepper was significantly increased under 100% R light, whereas the plant height of spinach and basil did not show any significant difference. The total leaf number of basil and pepper was significantly increased under the treatment of 95% R + 5% B light, while no significant difference was observed for other plant species in the same treatment. Overall, the fresh and dry mass of the studied plants was increased under 91% R + 9% B and 95% R + 5% B light treatment. The significantly higher flower and fruit numbers of pepper were observed under the 95% R + 5% B treatment. The chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content of lettuce, spinach, basil, and pepper was significantly increased under the 91% R + 9% B treatment while the chlorophyll content of kale was increased under the 95% R + 5% B light treatment. The total carotenoid content of lettuce and spinach was higher in the 91% R + 9% B treatment whereas the carotenoid content of kale, basil, and pepper was increased under the 83% R + 17% B treatment. The antioxidant capacity of the lettuce, spinach, and kale was increased under the 83% R + 17% B treatment while basil and pepper were increased under the 91% R + 9% B treatment. This result indicates that the addition of B light is essential with R light to enhance growth, pigment content, and antioxidant capacity of the vegetable plant in a controlled environment. Moreover, the percentage of B with R light is plant species dependent.


Author(s):  
Gemma Sutton ◽  
Robert N. Kelsh ◽  
Steffen Scholpp

The neural crest (NC) is a multipotent cell population in vertebrate embryos with extraordinary migratory capacity. The NC is crucial for vertebrate development and forms a myriad of cell derivatives throughout the body, including pigment cells, neuronal cells of the peripheral nervous system, cardiomyocytes and skeletogenic cells in craniofacial tissue. NC induction occurs at the end of gastrulation when the multipotent population of NC progenitors emerges in the ectodermal germ layer in the neural plate border region. In the process of NC fate specification, fate-specific markers are expressed in multipotent progenitors, which subsequently adopt a specific fate. Thus, NC cells delaminate from the neural plate border and migrate extensively throughout the embryo until they differentiate into various cell derivatives. Multiple signalling pathways regulate the processes of NC induction and specification. This review explores the ongoing role of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway during NC development, focusing on research undertaken in the Teleost model organism, zebrafish (Danio rerio). We discuss the function of the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway in inducing the NC within the neural plate border and the specification of melanocytes from the NC. The current understanding of NC development suggests a continual role of Wnt/β-catenin signalling in activating and maintaining the gene regulatory network during NC induction and pigment cell specification. We relate this to emerging models and hypotheses on NC fate restriction. Finally, we highlight the ongoing challenges facing NC research, current gaps in knowledge, and this field’s potential future directions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Z. Bilousova ◽  
◽  
V. Keneva ◽  
Y. Klipakova ◽  
◽  
...  

To obtain the maximum yield of winter wheat, it is necessary to further optimize the existing cultivation technologies in the direction of their adaptation to changing environmental conditions. One of the areas of adaptation of plants to adverse abiotic factors is the active functioning of the photosynthetic apparatus, which depends on the amount of nutrients introduced. The influence of fertilizer application on the condition of the pigment complex of winter wheat plants in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine has been studied. Two varieties of winter wheat were selected for the study: Shestopalivka and Mason. The experiment scheme involved the application of fertilizers at sowing (K0; K12) and foliar treatment with various tank mixtures (urea; urea + magnesium sulfate; urea + magnesium sulfate + potassium monophosphate). The pigment content has been determined by grinding fresh leaves of winter wheat, followed by the addition of a solvent in the form of acetone. Measurements of pigments were performed using a spectrophotometer. According to the research results, it was established that before the foliar treatment the a-chlorophyll content and carotenoids was higher in the plant leaves of the Shestopalivka variety. At the same time, the b-chlorophyll content on the contrary was higher for plants of the Mason variety by 17%, which may be due to the adaptation of plants of this variety to lack of light. On the 3rd day after foliar treatment, a decrease in the pigment content in the plant leaves of all experimental variants has been observed, which was due to the active growth of the photosynthetic surface and a decrease in the total dry matter mass. There was no significant difference between the varieties of the content of photosynthetic pigments in this period. On the 10th day after foliar treatment, an increase in a- and b-chlorophyll content has been observed for both studied varieties, which may be the result of adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus of winter wheat plants to lighting conditions. Foliar treatment of winter wheat plants with a tank mixture of urea with magnesium sulfate and potassium monophosphate contributed to a further increase in the content of a-chlorophyll by 12-23%, and b-chlorophyll by 5-37% depending on the variety compared to the control. The results of the research testify to the high efficiency of complex application of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for foliar treatment of winter wheat plants in the BBCH 31 stage, both against the background of pre-sowing application of potassium fertilizers and without it.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alec K. Gramann ◽  
Arvind M. Venkatesan ◽  
Melissa Guerin ◽  
Craig J. Ceol

AbstractPreventing terminal differentiation is important in the development and progression of many cancers including melanoma. Recent identification of the BMP ligand GDF6 as a novel melanoma oncogene showed GDF6-activated BMP signaling suppresses differentiation of melanoma cells. Previous studies have identified roles for GDF6 orthologs during early embryonic and neural crest development, but have not identified direct regulation of melanocyte development by GDF6. Here, we investigate the BMP ligand gdf6a, a zebrafish ortholog of human GDF6, during the development of melanocytes from the neural crest. We establish that the loss of gdf6a or inhibition of BMP signaling during neural crest development disrupts normal pigment cell development, leading to an increase in the number of melanocytes and a corresponding decrease in iridophores, another neural crest-derived pigment cell type in zebrafish. This shift occurs as pigment cells arise from the neural crest and depends on mitfa, an ortholog of MITF, a key regulator of melanocyte development that is also targeted by oncogenic BMP signaling. Together, these results indicate that the oncogenic role ligand-dependent BMP signaling plays in suppressing differentiation in melanoma is a reiteration of its physiological roles during melanocyte development.


Development ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
D. J. Pritchard ◽  
R. M. Clayton ◽  
D. I. De Pomerai

The in vitro transdifferentiation of chicken embryo neural retina into pigment epithelium and lens cells was investigated under a variety of experimental conditions. Our findings suggest that some aspects of the phenomena are a function of medium composition and volume, whereas others depend upon conditions which develop during culture growth. Before melanin is visible, potential pigment cells are recognized as foci within epithelialsheets which remain in contact with the dish. The final area occupied by colonies of potential pigment cells is directly proportional to bicarbonate concentration. Low total medium volume also favours formation of potential pigment cells. In contrast the extent of cells other than potential pigment cells is not related to bicarbonate and is favoured when the volume of medium is large. Accumulation of melanin within the potential pigment cell colonies is suppressed when cells are crowded together. Lentoid bodies are formed from cells which are distinct from potential pigment cells and arise in crowded situations, in association with multilayering. Another type of structure superficially resembling a lentoid is derived from cell aggregates formed during the initial establishment of cultures. The survival of these ‘aggregate bodies’ is inversely related to bicarbonate concentration. Crystallin content is unrelated to lentoid numbers. The results provide the basis for a new hypothesis concerning cytodifferentiation in this system.


Development ◽  
1959 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-374
Author(s):  
J. Cohen

Light Sussex embryos and day-old chicks have no pigmentation of their plumage. Some pigmentation appears at the bases of the wing and tail primaries during the first week after hatching, and at about 6 weeks each neck feather shows a broad longitudinal medial black stripe. The saddle, flank, and breast feathers remain unpigmented, except in some strains which may show some, black flecks in these feathers as the bird ages. Thus in the adult Light Sussex the flight feathers of the wings and tail show considerable areas of black, the neck feathers have a broad black stripe on each side of the rachis, and the rest of the plumage is white (Plate 1, figs. A, B, C). The question therefore arises as to whether the pigment cells are present and non-functional, or absent, in the white feather of a partly pigmented breed such as the Light Sussex.


1967 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-348
Author(s):  
A. W. CLARK

The eye of the rhynchobdellid leech, Helobdella stagnalis, has been examined with the electron microscope. The eye is composed of a cup of pigment cells surrounding a compact mass of photo-receptor cells. In addition to pigment granules, the pigment-cell cytoplasm is characterized by mitochondria, a Golgi complex, and profiles of rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. The photoreceptor cell contains a microvillous rhabdomere. The microvilli arise from the membrane of a large intracellular vesicle and obliterate much of its lumen. No connexion between the lumen of the intracellular vesicle and the extracellular space has been observed. The plasmalemma of the photoreceptor cell is folded to form thin pleats of cytoplasm which separate adjacent receptor cells from each other. No glial-like cells have been seen in the receptor cell mass. Directly subjacent to the microvilli and surrounding the intracellular vesicle is a tortuous and predominantly smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. A pair of centrioles is found near the rhabdomere. The cytoplasm around the nucleus is characterized by smooth- and rough-surfaced elements of endoplasmic reticulum, many mitochondria, and a Golgi complex. Proximally, the receptor cell narrows to form a nerve fibre which joins those from other cells to form the optic nerve.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (17) ◽  
pp. 3757-3767 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. Lister ◽  
C.P. Robertson ◽  
T. Lepage ◽  
S.L. Johnson ◽  
D.W. Raible

We report the isolation and identification of a new mutation affecting pigment cell fate in the zebrafish neural crest. Homozygous nacre (nac(w2)) mutants lack melanophores throughout development but have increased numbers of iridophores. The non-crest-derived retinal pigment epithelium is normal, suggesting that the mutation does not affect pigment synthesis per se. Expression of early melanoblast markers is absent in nacre mutants and transplant experiments suggested a cell-autonomous function in melanophores. We show that nac(w2) is a mutation in a zebrafish gene encoding a basic helix-loop-helix/leucine zipper transcription factor related to microphthalmia (Mitf), a gene known to be required for development of eye and crest pigment cells in the mouse. Transient expression of the wild-type nacre gene restored melanophore development in nacre(−/−) embryos. Furthermore, misexpression of nacre induced the formation of ectopic melanized cells and caused defects in eye development in wild-type and mutant embryos. These results demonstrate that melanophore development in fish and mammals shares a dependence on the nacre/Mitf transcription factor, but that proper development of the retinal pigment epithelium in the fish is not nacre-dependent, suggesting an evolutionary divergence in the function of this gene.


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