scholarly journals Molecular basis of wax-based color change and UV reflection in dragonflies

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Futahashi ◽  
Yumi Yamahama ◽  
Migaku Kawaguchi ◽  
Naoki Mori ◽  
Daisuke Ishii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Color Change ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Methyl Ketones ◽  
Body Color ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongase ◽  
Visual Signaling ◽  
Fine Structures ◽  
Uv Reflection ◽  
Long Chain

Many animals change their body color for visual signaling and environmental adaptation. Some dragonflies show wax-based color change and ultraviolet (UV) reflection, but the biochemical properties underlying the phenomena are totally unknown. Here we investigated the UV-reflective abdominal wax of dragonflies, thereby identifying very long-chain methyl ketones and aldehydes as unique and major wax components. Little wax was detected on young adults, but dense wax secretion was found mainly on the dorsal abdomen of mature males of Orthetrum albistylum and O. melania, and pruinose wax secretion was identified on the ventral abdomen of mature females of O. albistylum and Sympetrum darwinianum. Comparative transcriptomics demonstrated drastic upregulation of the ELOVL17 gene, a member of the fatty acid elongase gene family, whose expression reflected the distribution of very long-chain methyl ketones. Synthetic 2-pentacosanone, the major component of dragonfly’s wax, spontaneously formed light-scattering scale-like fine structures with strong UV reflection, suggesting its potential utility for biomimetics.

scholarly journals Author response: Molecular basis of wax-based color change and UV reflection in dragonflies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Futahashi ◽  
Yumi Yamahama ◽  
Migaku Kawaguchi ◽  
Naoki Mori ◽  
Daisuke Ishii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Color Change ◽  
Author Response ◽  
Uv Reflection

scholarly journals Integrated lipidomics and proteomics reveal cardiolipin alterations, upregulation of HADHA and long chain fatty acids in pancreatic cancer stem cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Di Carlo ◽  
Bebiana C. Sousa ◽  
Marcello Manfredi ◽  
Jessica Brandi ◽  
Elisa Dalla Pozza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Cancer Stem Cells ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongase ◽  
Acyl Chains ◽  
A Chain ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells ◽  
Long Chain

AbstractPancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) play a key role in the aggressiveness of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC); however, little is known about their signaling and metabolic pathways. Here we show that PCSCs have specific and common proteome and lipidome modulations. PCSCs displayed downregulation of lactate dehydrogenase A chain, and upregulation of trifunctional enzyme subunit alpha. The upregulated proteins of PCSCs are mainly involved in fatty acid (FA) elongation and biosynthesis of unsaturated FAs. Accordingly, lipidomics reveals an increase in long and very long-chain unsaturated FAs, which are products of fatty acid elongase-5 predicted as a key gene. Moreover, lipidomics showed the induction in PCSCs of molecular species of cardiolipin with mixed incorporation of 16:0, 18:1, and 18:2 acyl chains. Our data indicate a crucial role of FA elongation and alteration in cardiolipin acyl chain composition in PCSCs, representing attractive therapeutic targets in PDAC.

scholarly journals Two Italian Patients with ELOVL4-Related Neuro-Ichthyosis:  Expanding the Genotypic and Phenotypic Spectrum and Ultrastructural Characterization

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 343
Author(s):  
Andrea Diociaiuti ◽  
Diego Martinelli ◽  
Francesco Nicita ◽  
Claudia Cesario ◽  
Elisa Pisaneschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Chain Fatty Acid ◽  
Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type ◽  
Facial Dysmorphism ◽  
Macular Dystrophy ◽  
Compound Heterozygous ◽  
Long Chain Fatty Acid ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongase ◽  
Spastic Quadriplegia ◽  
Long Chain

Elongation of Very Long Chain Fatty Acid-4 (ELOVL4) is a fatty acid elongase responsible for very long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis in the brain, retina, and skin. Heterozygous mutations in ELOVL4 gene cause Stargardt-like macular dystrophy and spinocerebellar ataxia type-34, while different homozygous mutations have been associated with ichthyosis, spastic quadriplegia, and mental retardation syndrome in three kindred. We report the first two Italian children affected with neuro-ichthyosis due to the previously undescribed ELOVL4 homozygous frameshift variant c.435dupT (p.Ile146TyrfsTer29), and compound heterozygous variants c.208C>T (p.Arg70Ter) and c.487T>C (p.Cys163Arg), respectively. Both patients were born with collodion membrane followed by development of diffuse mild hyperkeratosis and scaling, localized erythema, and palmoplantar keratoderma. One infant displayed mild facial dysmorphism. They suffered from failure to thrive, and severe gastro-esophageal reflux with pulmonary aspiration. The patients presented axial hypotonia, hypertonia of limbs, and absent head control with poor eye contact from infancy. Visual evoked potentials showed markedly increased latency and poor morphological definition, indicative of alteration of the retro-retinal visual pathways in both patients. Ultrastructural skin examination revealed abnormalities of lamellar bodies with altered release in the epidermal granular and horny layer intracellular spaces. Our findings contribute to expanding the phenotypic and genotypic features of ELOVL4-related neuro-ichthyosis.

scholarly journals Ultraviolet patterns of flowers revealed in polymer replica – caused by surface architecture

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna J Schulte ◽  
Matthias Mail ◽  
Lisa A Hahn ◽  
Wilhelm Barthlott
Keyword(s):  
Surface Structure ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Visual Signaling ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Structure Lead ◽  
Replication Technique ◽  
First Time ◽  
Uv Reflection

Angiosperms and their pollinators are adapted in a close co-evolution. For both the plants and pollinators, the functioning of the visual signaling system is highly relevant for survival. As the frequency range of visual perception in many insects extends into the ultraviolet (UV) region, UV-patterns of plants play an important role in the flower–pollinator interaction. It is well known that many flowers contain UV-absorbing pigments in their petal cells, which are localized in vacuoles. However, the contribution of the petal surface microarchitecture to UV-reflection remains uncertain. The correlation between the surface structure and its reflective properties is also relevant for biomimetic applications, for example, in the field of photovoltaics. Based on previous work, we selected three model species with distinct UV-patterns to explore the possible contribution of the surface architecture to the UV-signaling. Using a replication technique, we transferred the petal surface structure onto a transparent polymer. Upon illumination with UV-light, we observed structural-based patterns in the replicas that were surprisingly comparable to those of the original petals. For the first time, this experiment has shown that the parameters of the surface structure lead to an enhancement in the amount of absorbed UV-radiation. Spectrophotometric measurements revealed up to 50% less reflection in the UV-absorbing regions than in the UV-reflecting areas. A comparative characterization of the micromorphology of the UV-reflecting and UV-absorbing areas showed that, in principle, a hierarchical surface structure results in more absorption. Therefore, the results of our experiments demonstrate the structural-based amplification of UV-reflection and provide a starting point for the design of bioinspired antireflective and respectively strongly absorbing surfaces.

scholarly journals Rapid body color brightening is associated with exposure to a stressor in an Anolis lizard

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane F.F. Boyer ◽  
Lindsey Swierk
Keyword(s):  
Color Change ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Body Color ◽  
Anolis Lizard ◽  
Body Coloration ◽  
Body Regions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Three Body ◽  
Typical Skin

Many species use color change to optimize body coloration to changing environmental conditions, and drivers of rapid color change in natural populations are numerous and poorly understood. We examined factors influencing body coloration in the Water Anole (Anolis aquaticus Taylor, 1956), a lizard possessing color-changing stripes along the length of its body. We quantified the color of three body regions (the eye stripe, lateral stripe, and dorsum) before and after exposure to a mild stressor (handling and restraint). Based on current understanding of the genus Anolis Daudin, 1802, we hypothesized that exposure to a stressor would generate genus-typical skin darkening (i.e., increased melanism). Contrary to expectations, stress consistently brightened body coloration: eye and lateral stripes transitioned from brown to pale blue and green and the dorsum became lighter brown. Sex, size, and body temperature did not correlate with any aspect of body coloration, and a laboratory experiment confirmed that light exposure did not drive brightening. We propose that color change may serve to reduce conspicuousness through disruptive camouflage; lizards tended to display brighter stripes on mottled green–brown substrates. Together, these results improve our understanding of Anolis color change diversity and emphasize the need for a broader interpretation of the mechanism and functions of color change across taxa.

scholarly journals Molecular basis of human mitochondrial very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency causing cardiomyopathy and sudden death in childhood.

1995 ◽  
Vol 92 (23) ◽  
pp. 10496-10500 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Strauss ◽  
C. K. Powell ◽  
D. E. Hale ◽  
M. M. Anderson ◽  
A. Ahuja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sudden Death ◽  
Molecular Basis ◽  
Dehydrogenase Deficiency ◽  
Chain Acyl ◽  
Long Chain
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