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Reinhold LM, Rymer TL, Helgen KM, Wilson DT. Photoluminescence in mammal fur: 111 years of research. J Mammal 2023; 104:892-906. [PMID: 37545668 PMCID: PMC10399922 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Photoluminescence in the pelage of mammals, a topic that has gained considerable recent research interest, was first documented in the 1700s and reported sporadically in the literature over the last century. The first detailed species accounts were of rabbits and humans, published 111 years ago in 1911. Recent studies have largely overlooked this earlier research into photoluminescent mammalian taxa and their luminophores. Here we provide a comprehensive update on existing research on photoluminescence in mammal fur, with the intention of drawing attention to earlier pioneering research in this field. We provide an overview on appropriate terminology, explain the physics of photoluminescence, and explore pigmentation and the ubiquitous photoluminescence of animal tissues, before touching on the emerging debate regarding visual function. We then provide a chronological account of research into mammalian fur photoluminescence, from the earliest discoveries and identification of luminophores to the most recent studies. While all mammal fur is likely to have a general low-level photoluminescence due to the presence of the protein keratin, fur glows luminously under ultraviolet light if it contains significant concentrations of tryptophan metabolites or porphyrins. Finally, we briefly discuss issues associated with preserved museum specimens in studies of photoluminescence. The study of mammal fur photoluminescence has a substantial history, which provides a broad foundation on which future studies can be grounded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M Reinhold
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
| | - Tasmin L Rymer
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, James Cook University, P.O. Box 6811, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
| | - Kristofer M Helgen
- Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
| | - David T Wilson
- Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
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Kang L, Michalak P, Hallerman E, Moncrief ND. A Draft Genome Assembly for the Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6373894. [PMID: 34550334 PMCID: PMC8664420 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The eastern fox squirrel, Sciurus niger, exhibits marked geographic variation in size and coat color, is a model organism for studies of behavior and ecology, and a potential model for investigating physiological solutions to human porphyrias. We assembled a genome using Illumina HiSeq, PacBio SMRT, and Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing platforms. Together, the sequencing data resulted in a draft genome of 2.99 Gb, containing 32,830 scaffolds with an average size of 90.9Kb and N50 of 183.8 Kb. Genome completeness was estimated to be 93.78%. A total of 24,443 protein-encoding genes were predicted from the assembly, and 23,079 (94.42%) were annotated. Repeat elements comprised an estimated 38.49% of the genome, with the majority being LINEs (13.92%), SINEs (6.04%), and LTR elements. The topology of the species tree reconstructed using maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis was congruent with those of previous studies. This genome assembly can prove useful for comparative studies of genome structure and function in this rapidly diversifying lineage of mammals, for studies of population genomics and adaptation, and for biomedical research. Predicted amino acid sequence alignments for genes affecting heme biosynthesis, color vision and hibernation showed point mutations and indels that may affect protein function and ecological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, LA 71203, USA.,Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, LA 71203, USA.,Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.,Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Eric Hallerman
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Nancy D Moncrief
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, Virginia 24112, USA. 276.634.4177
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Vivid biofluorescence discovered in the nocturnal Springhare (Pedetidae). Sci Rep 2021; 11:4125. [PMID: 33603032 PMCID: PMC7892538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83588-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofluorescence has been detected in several nocturnal-crepuscular organisms from invertebrates to birds and mammals. Biofluorescence in mammals has been detected across the phylogeny, including the monotreme duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhyncus anatinus), marsupial opossums (Didelphidae), and New World placental flying squirrels (Gluacomys spp.). Here, we document vivid biofluorescence of springhare (Pedetidae) in both museum specimens and captive individuals—the first documented biofluorescence of an Old World placental mammal. We explore the variation in biofluorescence across our sample and characterize its physical and chemical properties. The striking visual patterning and intensity of color shift was unique relative to biofluorescence found in other mammals. We establish that biofluorescence in springhare likely originates within the cuticle of the hair fiber and emanates, at least partially, from several fluorescent porphyrins and potentially one unassigned molecule absent from our standard porphyrin mixture. This discovery further supports the hypothesis that biofluorescence may be ecologically important for nocturnal-crepuscular mammals and suggests that it may be more broadly distributed throughout Mammalia than previously thought.
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de Oliveira Neves AC, Galván I. Models for human porphyrias: Have animals in the wild been overlooked?: Some birds and mammals accumulate significant amounts of porphyrins in the body without showing the injurious symptoms observed in human porphyrias. Bioessays 2020; 42:e2000155. [PMID: 33155299 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202000155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Humans accumulate porphyrins in the body mostly during the course of porphyrias, diseases caused by defects in the enzymes of the heme biosynthesis pathway and that produce acute attacks, skin lesions and liver cancer. In contrast, some wild mammals and birds are adapted to accumulate porphyrins without injurious consequences. Here we propose viewing such physiological adaptations as potential solutions to human porphyrias, and suggest certain wild animals as models. Given the enzymatic activity and/or the patterns of porphyrin excretion and accumulation, the fox squirrel, the great bustard and the Eurasian eagle owl may constitute overlooked models for different porphyrias. The Harderian gland of rodents, where large amounts of porphyrins are synthesized, presents an underexplored potential for understanding the carcinogenic/toxic effect of porphyrin accumulation. Investigating how these animals avoid porphyrin pathogenicity may complement the use of laboratory models for porphyrias and provide new insights into the treatment of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, Sevilla, 41092, Spain
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Stubenhaus BM, Dustin JP, Neverett ER, Beaudry MS, Nadeau LE, Burk-McCoy E, He X, Pearson BJ, Pellettieri J. Light-induced depigmentation in planarians models the pathophysiology of acute porphyrias. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27240733 PMCID: PMC4887210 DOI: 10.7554/elife.14175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Porphyrias are disorders of heme metabolism frequently characterized by extreme photosensitivity. This symptom results from accumulation of porphyrins, tetrapyrrole intermediates in heme biosynthesis that generate reactive oxygen species when exposed to light, in the skin of affected individuals. Here we report that in addition to producing an ommochrome body pigment, the planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea generates porphyrins in its subepithelial pigment cells under physiological conditions, and that this leads to pigment cell loss when animals are exposed to intense visible light. Remarkably, porphyrin biosynthesis and light-induced depigmentation are enhanced by starvation, recapitulating a common feature of some porphyrias – decreased nutrient intake precipitates an acute manifestation of the disease. Our results establish planarians as an experimentally tractable animal model for research into the pathophysiology of acute porphyrias, and potentially for the identification of novel pharmacological interventions capable of alleviating porphyrin-mediated photosensitivity or decoupling dieting and fasting from disease pathogenesis. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.14175.001 Porphyrias are rare diseases that involve ring-shaped molecules called porphyrins accumulating in various parts of the body. Porphyrins are produced as part of the normal process that makes an important molecule called heme, which is required to transport oxygen. However, high levels of porphyrins can be toxic. For example, porphyrins deposited in the skin can cause swelling and blistering when the skin is exposed to bright light. Other disease symptoms include neurological issues ranging from anxiety and confusion to seizures or paralysis. It has been speculated that porphyrias may have affected several historical figures, including the artist Vincent van Gogh. In addition to their role in heme production, porphyrins also have other roles. For example, they are used as pigments in the wing feathers of some owls. Researchers are trying to understand more about how organisms regulate porphyrin production so that it might be possible to develop more effective treatments for porphyria in humans. Here, Stubenhaus et al. studied how a flatworm called Schmidtea mediterranea makes porphyrins. A group of undergraduate students noticed that these animals – which are normally brown in color – turned white when they were exposed to sunlight for several days. Stubenhaus et al. found that S. mediterranea makes porphyrins in the pigment cells of its skin using the same genes that make porphyrins in humans. Together with other molecules called ommochromes, the porphyrins give rise to the normal color of this flatworm. However, when the animals are exposed to intense light for extended periods of time, which is unlikely to occur in the wild, porphyrin production leads to loss of the pigment cells. The experiments also show that starvation increases the rate of pigment cell loss in light-exposed flatworms, which mirrors the worsening of disease symptoms some porphyria patients experience when they diet or fast. Stubenhaus et al. propose that flatworms are useful models in which to study the molecular processes that are responsible for porphyrias in humans. Further research is required to determine the exact chemical structure of the porphyrin and ommochrome molecules produced in different flatworm species. Stubenhaus et al. also plan to use flatworms to screen for drugs that could potentially be developed into new treatments for porphyria. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.14175.002
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John P Dustin
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, United States
| | - Emily R Neverett
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, United States
| | - Megan S Beaudry
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, United States
| | - Leanna E Nadeau
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, United States
| | - Ethan Burk-McCoy
- Department of Biology, Keene State College, Keene, United States
| | - Xinwen He
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bret J Pearson
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Canada
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Rivera DF, Leung LKP. A rare autosomal recessive condition, congenital erythropoietic porphyria, found in the canefield rat Rattus sordidus Gould 1858. Integr Zool 2012; 3:216-8. [PMID: 21396071 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2008.00088.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP) is a rare autosomal recessive condition that has been reported in humans and in some animals, in which uroporphyrin 1 is deposited in the bones, teeth and urine, resulting in pink coloration and fluorescence of the tissues and urine under long-wave ultraviolet (UV) light. We observed red teeth in nine of 450 canefield rats (Rattus sordidus) captured in a small, isolated patch of sugarcane in Tully, north Queensland, Australia. The skeletons of these animals were excised and were found to be bright red under normal day light. Under UV light, the skeleton had a bright red fluorescence. It is plausible that the canefield rat population in this isolated patch of sugarcane is small and inbreeding might have occurred, resulting in incidences of the autosomal recessive genes that cause CEP. The canefield rat can be used as an animal model for research into porphyria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario F Rivera
- School of Animal Studies, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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JORGENSEN SK, WITH TK. PORPHYRIA IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS: DANISH OBSERVATIONS IN PIGS AND CATTLE AND COMPARISON WITH HUMAN PORPHYRIA. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006; 104:701-9. [PMID: 13964925 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1963.tb17703.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Tennant
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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10
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Xu W, Kozak CA, Desnick RJ. Uroporphyrinogen-III synthase: molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence, expression of a mouse full-length cDNA, and its localization on mouse chromosome 7. Genomics 1995; 26:556-62. [PMID: 7607680 DOI: 10.1016/0888-7543(95)80175-l] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Uroporphyrinogen-III synthase (URO-S; EC 4.2.1.75), the fourth enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway, is responsible for the conversion of hydroxymethylbilane to the cyclic tetrapyrrole, uroporphyrinogen III. The deficient activity of URO-S is the enzymatic defect in congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP), an autosomal recessive disorder. For the generation of a mouse model of CEP, the human URO-S cDNA was used to screen 2 x 10(6) recombinants from a mouse adult liver cDNA library. Ten positive clones were isolated, and dideoxy sequencing of the entire 1.6-kb insert of clone pmUROS-1 revealed 5' and 3' untranslated sequences of 144 and 623 bp, respectively, and an open reading frame of 798 bp encoding a 265-amino-acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 28,501 Da. The mouse and human coding sequences had 80.5 and 77.8% nucleotide and amino acid identity, respectively. The authenticity of the mouse cDNA was established by expression of the active monomeric enzyme in Escherichia coli. In addition, the analysis of two multilocus genetic crosses localized the mouse gene on chromosome 7, consistent with the mapping of the human gene to a position of conserved synteny on chromosome 10. The isolation, expression, and chromosomal mapping of this full-length cDNA should facilitate studies of the structure and organization of the mouse genomic sequence and the development of a mouse model of CEP for characterization of the disease pathogenesis and evaluation of gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Xu
- Department of Human Genetics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029-6574, USA
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- C Rimington
- University College Hospital Medical School, London, England
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12
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Bishop DF, Kitchen H, Wood WA. Evidence for erythroid and nonerythroid forms of delta-aminolevulinate synthetase. Arch Biochem Biophys 1981; 206:380-91. [PMID: 7224646 DOI: 10.1016/0003-9861(81)90105-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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13
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Sassa S, Kappas A. Genetic, metabolic, and biochemical aspects of the porphyrias. ADVANCES IN HUMAN GENETICS 1981; 11:121-231. [PMID: 7023204 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-8303-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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15
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With TK. A short history of porphyrins and the porphyrias. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1980; 11:189-200. [PMID: 6993245 DOI: 10.1016/0020-711x(80)90219-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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16
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RUTH GR, Schwartz S, Stephenson B. Bovine protoporphyria: the first nonhuman model of this hereditary photosensitizing disease. Science 1977; 198:199-201. [PMID: 905823 DOI: 10.1126/science.905823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Protoporphyria, a photosensitizing disease documented only in humans, was transmitted as a recessive trait to seven female calves. Cutaneous lesions were extensive, and erythrocyte and fecal protoporphyrin concentrations exceeded by far those of human protoporphyria. Average ferrochelatase activity was decreased to one-half of normal in the liver of carriers, and to about one-tenth of normal in liver, kidney, heart, spleen, lung, and marrow of protoporphyrics.
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Miyagi K, Petryka ZJ, Bossenmaier I, Cardinal R, Watson CJ. The activities of uroporphyrinogen synthetase and cosynthetase in congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP). Am J Hematol 1976; 1:3-21. [PMID: 984034 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.2830010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Normal or increased amounts of series III porphyrins with greater amounts of series I were observed on incubation of PBG in hemolysates of congenital erythropoietic porphyria vs. normal erythrocytes, human or bovine. Correlation with reticulocyte percentage was poor, in the aggregate a general trend toward increased values of both isomers I and III was noted with increasing reticulocytes. When the percent of type III was low the net amount was increased as compared with normal. Hemolysates of non-porphyric, reticulocyte-rich red cells (hemolytic or posthemorrhagic anemia) formed only minute amounts of type I porphyrin but at the same time no more, or even less type III than the porphyric hemolysates, although representing red cells of greater reticulocyte content. No evidence of deficient heme synthesis was observed in porphyric hemolysates incubayed with [14C]-porphobilinogen or 59Fe. Other studies of porphyric hemolysates incubated with and without added mouse spleen synthetase failed to reveal evidence of an absolute UPG-III cosynthetase (Co-S) deficiency. The large increases of type I porphyrin with normal or increased formation of type III, both in the disease and in the hemolysates, are believed due to a primary increase of ALA-S or UPG-S activity rather than a decrease of Co-S. Possible mutations which might be responsible for this increase are considered.
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Peters HA, Cripps DJ, Reese HH. Porphyria: theories of etiology and treatment. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 1974; 16:301-55. [PMID: 4606919 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(08)60199-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Irvine DG. Kryptopyrrole and other monopyrroles in molecular neurobiology. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 1974; 16:145-82. [PMID: 4606712 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(08)60196-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Eriksen L, Hofstad F, Seip M. Congenital erythropoietic porphyria. The effect of light shielding. ACTA PAEDIATRICA SCANDINAVICA 1973; 62:385-90. [PMID: 4729689 DOI: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1973.tb08124.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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23
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Kennedy GY, Vevers HG. Eggshell pigments of the Araucano fowl. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. B, COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY 1973; 44:11-25. [PMID: 4683993 DOI: 10.1016/0305-0491(73)90336-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Abstract
The activity of uroporphyrinogen III cosynthetase in hemolyzates and tissue extracts from fox squirrels is much less than in similar preparations from gray squirrels. Low activity of this enzyme explains the production of large amounts of uroporphyrin I by the fox squirrel. Members of this species thus provide a small-animal model for studies of congenital erythropoietic porphyria, a hereditary disease of man and cattle which is associated with a similar partial deficiency of uroporphyrinogen III cosynthetase.
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