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El-Zawawy NA, Kenawy ER, Ahmed S, El-Sapagh S. Bioproduction and optimization of newly characterized melanin pigment from Streptomyces djakartensis NSS-3 with its anticancer, antimicrobial, and radioprotective properties. Microb Cell Fact 2024; 23:23. [PMID: 38229042 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02276-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Melanin is a natural pigment that is considered a promising biomaterial for numerous biotechnological applications across several industries. Melanin has biomedical applications as antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. Additionally, in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, it is used in drug delivery and as a radioprotective agent. Also, melanin has environmental uses in the fields of bioremediation and the food industry. The biosynthesis of melanin pigment is an area of interest for researchers due to its multifunctionality, high compatibility, and biodegradability. Therefore, our present work is the first attempt to characterize and optimize the productivity of melanin pigment from Streptomyces djakartensis NSS-3 concerning its radioprotection and biological properties. RESULTS Forty isolates of soil actinobacteria were isolated from the Wadi Allaqui Biosphere Reserve, Egypt. Only one isolate, ACT3, produced a dark brown melanin pigment extracellularly. This isolate was identified according to phenotypic properties and molecular phylogenetic analysis as Streptomyces djakartensis NSS-3 with accession number OP912881. Plackett-Burman experimental design (PBD) and response surface methodology (RSM) using a Box-Behnken design (BBD) were performed for optimum medium and culturing conditions for maximum pigment production, resulting in a 4.19-fold improvement in melanin production (118.73 mg/10 mL). The extracted melanin pigment was purified and characterized as belonging to nitrogen-free pyomelanin based on ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-VIS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and NMR studies. Purified melanin demonstrated potent scavenging activity with IC50 values of 18.03 µg/mL and revealed high potency as sunscreens (in vitro SPF = 18.5). Moreover, it showed a nontoxic effect on a normal cell line (WI38), while it had a concentration-dependent anticancer effect on HCT116, HEPG, and MCF7 cell lines with IC50 = 108.9, 43.83, and 81.99 µg/mL, respectively. Also, purified melanin had a detrimental effect on the tested MDR bacterial strains, of which PA-09 and SA-04 were clearly more susceptible to melanin compared with other strains with MICs of 6.25 and 25 µg/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated that the newly characterized pyomelanin from Streptomyces djakartensis NSS-3 has valuable biological properties due to its potential photoprotective, antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and lack of cytotoxic activities, which open up new prospects for using this natural melanin pigment in various biotechnological applications and avoiding chemical-based drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nessma A El-Zawawy
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
| | - El-Refaie Kenawy
- Chemistry Department, Polymer Research Unit, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Sara Ahmed
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Shimaa El-Sapagh
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
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Guo L, Li W, Gu Z, Wang L, Guo L, Ma S, Li C, Sun J, Han B, Chang J. Recent Advances and Progress on Melanin: From Source to Application. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054360. [PMID: 36901791 PMCID: PMC10002160 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanin is a biological pigment formed by indoles and phenolic compounds. It is widely found in living organisms and has a variety of unique properties. Due to its diverse characteristics and good biocompatibility, melanin has become the focus in the fields of biomedicine, agriculture, the food industry, etc. However, due to the wide range of melanin sources, complex polymerization properties, and low solubility of specific solvents, the specific macromolecular structure and polymerization mechanism of melanin remain unclear, which significantly limits the further study and application of melanin. Its synthesis and degradation pathways are also controversial. In addition, new properties and applications of melanin are constantly being discovered. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in the research of melanin in all aspects. Firstly, the classification, source, and degradation of melanin are summarized. Secondly, a detailed description of the structure, characterization, and properties of melanin is followed. The novel biological activity of melanin and its application is described at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Guo
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Wenya Li
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Zhiyang Gu
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Litong Wang
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Lan Guo
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Saibo Ma
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Cuiyao Li
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Jishang Sun
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Baoqin Han
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
| | - Jing Chang
- College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266235, China
- Correspondence:
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3
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Hasegawa M, Arai E. Opposing population trends of fork-tailed swallows and reddish-coloured swallows in our changing world. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:331-338. [PMID: 33164309 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Sexual selection can in theory lead to positive and negative effect on population-level fitness and hence population increase/decline in our changing world, but the empirical evidence is scarce. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we examined whether and how different sexually selected ornaments affect recent population trends and extinction risk in swallows (Aves: Hirundininae). We found that population trends decreased with increasing depth of male tails, that is a well-known sexually selected trait, and increased with increasing score of reddish plumage coloration, another sexually selected ornament. Similar contrasting patterns were observed for extinction risk. These findings indicate ornament-specific population trends and extinction risk, perhaps due to the differential costs and benefits of ornamentation. Previous studies have mostly focused on the overall effects of sexual selection by combining different kinds of traits, presumed to be sexually selected. However, as predicted by theory, sexual selection would not be a process with the same universal effect on population dynamics as we found here. Divergent ecological consequences would occur through minor differences in sexual selection, which should not be dismissed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Hasegawa
- Department of Environmental Science, Ishikawa Prefectural University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Emi Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Kanagawa, Japan
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4
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Fogelholm J, Henriksen R, Höglund A, Huq N, Johnsson M, Lenz R, Jensen P, Wright D. CREBBP and WDR 24 Identified as Candidate Genes for Quantitative Variation in Red-Brown Plumage Colouration in the Chicken. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1161. [PMID: 31980681 PMCID: PMC6981141 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57710-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Plumage colouration in birds is important for a plethora of reasons, ranging from camouflage, sexual signalling, and species recognition. The genes underlying colour variation have been vital in understanding how genes can affect a phenotype. Multiple genes have been identified that affect plumage variation, but research has principally focused on major-effect genes (such as those causing albinism, barring, and the like), rather than the smaller effect modifier loci that more subtly influence colour. By utilising a domestic × wild advanced intercross with a combination of classical QTL mapping of red colouration as a quantitative trait and a targeted genetical genomics approach, we have identified five separate candidate genes (CREBBP, WDR24, ARL8A, PHLDA3, LAD1) that putatively influence quantitative variation in red-brown colouration in chickens. By treating colour as a quantitative rather than qualitative trait, we have identified both QTL and genes of small effect. Such small effect loci are potentially far more prevalent in wild populations, and can therefore potentially be highly relevant to colour evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fogelholm
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - R Henriksen
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - A Höglund
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - N Huq
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - M Johnsson
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, Scotland, United Kingdom.,Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Lenz
- ITN Dept of Science and Technology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - P Jensen
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden
| | - D Wright
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden.
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5
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Lee JW, Kim HN, Yoo S, Yoo JC. Common cuckoo females may escape male sexual harassment by color polymorphism. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7515. [PMID: 31101873 PMCID: PMC6525237 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44024-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual conflict over mating rate is widely regarded as a selective force on the evolution of female-limited color polymorphism in invertebrates, such as damselflies and butterflies. However, evidence confirming its use in higher vertebrates remains limited. The common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, is an avian brood parasite that does not provide parental care and represents a rare example of female-limited polymorphism in higher vertebrates. Specifically, males exhibit a monomorphic gray morph, while females are either gray or rufous colored, like juveniles. To test a prediction from the hypothesis that the rufous plumage of female cuckoos may help avoid excessive sexual harassment by males (the harassment avoidance hypothesis), we investigate color morph preference in male cuckoos. Mate choice experiments using playbacks of female calls with decoys mimicking both color morphs indicated that the attracted males immediately copulated with decoys without courtship displays, recognizing both color morphs as a sexual partner. However, the males attempted to copulate more frequently and excessively with the gray morph, which is consistent with the prediction from the harassment avoidance hypothesis. We propose that the absence of parental care augments sexual conflict over mating in cuckoos, resulting in the unusual evolution of female-limited polymorphism in this higher vertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Won Lee
- Department of Biology & Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hae-Ni Kim
- Department of Biology & Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sohyeon Yoo
- Department of Biology & Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Chil Yoo
- Department of Biology & Korea Institute of Ornithology, Kyung Hee University, 02447, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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6
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Arai E, Hasegawa M, Sato M, Sakai H, Ito S, Wakamatsu K. Eumelanin levels in rufous feathers explain plasma testosterone levels and survival in swallows. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2755-2764. [PMID: 30891214 PMCID: PMC6405925 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 01/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Pigment-based plumage coloration and its physiological properties have attracted many researchers to explain the evolution of such ornamental traits. These studies, however, assume the functional importance of the predominant pigment while ignoring that of other minor pigments, and few studies have focused on the composition of these pigments. Using the pheomelanin-based plumage in two swallow species, we studied the allocation of two pigments (the predominant pigment, pheomelanin, and the minor pigment, eumelanin) in relation to physiological properties and viability in populations under a natural and sexual selection. This is indispensable for studying the evolution of pheomelanin-based plumage coloration. Pheomelanin and eumelanin share the same pathway only during their initial stages of development, which can be a key to unravel the functional importance of pigment allocation and thus of plumage coloration. Using the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica, a migratory species, we found that plasma testosterone levels increased with increasing the proportion of eumelanin pigments compared with pheomelanin pigments, but not with the amount of pheomelanin pigments, during the mating period. In the Pacific swallow Hirundo tahitica, a nonmigratory congener, we found that, during severe winter weathers, survivors had a proportionally smaller amount of eumelanin pigments compared with pheomelanin pigments than that in nonsurvivors, but no detectable difference was found in the pheomelanin pigmentation itself. These results indicated that a minor pigment, eumelanin, matters at least in some physiological measures and viability. Because the major pigment, pheomelanin, has its own physiological properties, a combination of major and minor pigments provides multiple information to the signal receivers, potentially enhancing the signaling function of pheomelanic coloration and its diversification across habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emi Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of BiosystemsSokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)Hayama‐machiKanagawaJapan
| | - Masaru Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of BiosystemsSokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)Hayama‐machiKanagawaJapan
| | - Megumi Sato
- Department of Biology, School of DentistryNihon UniversityTokyoJapan
| | - Hidetsugu Sakai
- Department of Biology, School of DentistryNihon UniversityTokyoJapan
| | - Shosuke Ito
- Department of ChemistryFujita Health University School of Health SciencesToyoakeAichiJapan
| | - Kazumasa Wakamatsu
- Department of ChemistryFujita Health University School of Health SciencesToyoakeAichiJapan
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7
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Arai E, Hasegawa M, Wakamatsu K, Ito S. Males with More Pheomelanin Have a Lower Oxidative Balance in Asian Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica gutturalis). Zoolog Sci 2018; 35:505-513. [DOI: 10.2108/zs170204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emi Arai
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0115, Japan
| | - Masaru Hasegawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0115, Japan
| | - Kazumasa Wakamatsu
- Department of Chemistry, Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Shosuke Ito
- Department of Chemistry, Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
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8
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9
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Galván I. Condition-dependence of pheomelanin-based coloration in nuthatches Sitta europaea suggests a detoxifying function: implications for the evolution of juvenile plumage patterns. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9138. [PMID: 28831177 PMCID: PMC5567206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09771-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult-like juvenile plumage patterns often signal genotypic quality to parents. During adulthood, the same patterns often signal quality to mates. This has led to assume that adult-like juvenile plumage is a developmental consequence of sexual selection operating in adults. Many of these patterns are produced by the pigment pheomelanin, whose synthesis may help remove toxic excess cysteine. Excess cysteine is likely to arise under conditions of relatively low stress, such as those experienced by nestling birds. Thus, adult-like plumage may be advantageous for juveniles if produced by pheomelanin. In the Eurasian nuthatch Sitta europaea, juveniles are sexually dichromatic and identical to adults. Nestling nuthatches in poorer condition develop more intense pheomelanin-based feathers, indicating greater pigment production. The same is not observed in adults. This is contrary to a function related to signaling quality and instead suggests that, at least in the Eurasian nuthatch, adult-like juvenile plumage has evolved because of the detoxifying function of pheomelanin-based pigmentation. Given the prevalence of colors typically conferred by pheomelanin in juvenile plumage patterns, the detoxifying capacity of pheomelanin under low stress levels should be considered as an explanation for the evolution of both adult-like and distinctively juvenile plumage patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC, 41092, Sevilla, Spain.
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10
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Boratyński Z, Brito JC, Campos JC, Cunha JL, Granjon L, Mappes T, Ndiaye A, Rzebik-Kowalska B, Serén N. Repeated evolution of camouflage in speciose desert rodents. Sci Rep 2017; 7:3522. [PMID: 28615685 PMCID: PMC5471182 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-03444-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
There are two main factors explaining variation among species and the evolution of characters along phylogeny: adaptive change, including phenotypic and genetic responses to selective pressures, and phylogenetic inertia, or the resemblance between species due to shared phylogenetic history. Phenotype-habitat colour match, a classic Darwinian example of the evolution of camouflage (crypsis), offers the opportunity to test the importance of historical versus ecological mechanisms in shaping phenotypes among phylogenetically closely related taxa. To assess it, we investigated fur (phenotypic data) and habitat (remote sensing data) colourations, along with phylogenetic information, in the species-rich Gerbillus genus. Overall, we found a strong phenotype-habitat match, once the phylogenetic signal is taken into account. We found that camouflage has been acquired and lost repeatedly in the course of the evolutionary history of Gerbillus. Our results suggest that fur colouration and its covariation with habitat is a relatively labile character in mammals, potentially responding quickly to selection. Relatively unconstrained and substantial genetic basis, as well as structural and functional independence from other fitness traits of mammalian colouration might be responsible for that observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zbyszek Boratyński
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.
| | - José C Brito
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - João C Campos
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - José L Cunha
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Laurent Granjon
- IRD, UMR CBGP, Campus International de Baillarguet, CS 30016, 34988, Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Finland
| | - Arame Ndiaye
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, University Cheikh Anta Diop, BP 5005, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Barbara Rzebik-Kowalska
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sławkowska 17, 31-016, Kraków, Poland
| | - Nina Serén
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
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Polidori C, Jorge A, Ornosa C. Eumelanin and pheomelanin are predominant pigments in bumblebee (Apidae: Bombus) pubescence. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3300. [PMID: 28560094 PMCID: PMC5445944 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) are well known for their important inter- and intra-specific variation in hair (or pubescence) color patterns, but the chemical nature of the pigments associated with these patterns is not fully understood. For example, though melanization is believed to provide darker colors, it still unknown which types of melanin are responsible for each color, and no conclusive data are available for the lighter colors, including white. METHODS By using dispersive Raman spectroscopy analysis on 12 species/subspecies of bumblebees from seven subgenera, we tested the hypothesis that eumelanin and pheomelanin, the two main melanin types occurring in animals, are largely responsible for bumblebee pubescence coloration. RESULTS Eumelanin and pheomelanin occur in bumblebee pubescence. Black pigmentation is due to prevalent eumelanin, with visible signals of additional pheomelanin, while the yellow, orange, red and brown hairs clearly include pheomelanin. On the other hand, white hairs reward very weak Raman signals, suggesting that they are depigmented. Additional non-melanic pigments in yellow hair cannot be excluded but need other techniques to be detected. Raman spectra were more similar across similarly colored hairs, with no apparent effect of phylogeny and both melanin types appeared to be already used at the beginning of bumblebee radiation. DISCUSSION We suggest that the two main melanin forms, at variable amounts and/or vibrational states, are sufficient in giving almost the whole color range of bumblebee pubescence, allowing these insects to use a single precursor instead of synthesizing a variety of chemically different pigments. This would agree with commonly seen color interchanges between body segments across Bombus species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Polidori
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - Alberto Jorge
- Laboratorio de Microscopía, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Concepción Ornosa
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Arai E, Hasegawa M, Makino T, Hagino A, Sakai Y, Ohtsuki H, Wakamatsu K, Kawata M. Physiological conditions and genetic controls of phaeomelanin pigmentation in nestling barn swallows. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
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13
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Galván I, Inácio Â, Romero-Haro AA, Alonso-Alvarez C. Adaptive downregulation of pheomelanin-related Slc7a11 gene expression by environmentally induced oxidative stress. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:849-858. [PMID: 27988976 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Pheomelanin is a sulphur-containing yellow-to-reddish pigment whose synthesis consumes the main intracellular antioxidant (glutathione; GSH) and its precursor cysteine. Cysteine used for pheomelanogenesis cannot be used for antioxidant protection. We tested whether the expression of Slc7a11, the gene regulating the transport of cysteine to melanocytes for pheomelanogenesis, is environmentally influenced when cysteine/GSH are most required for antioxidant protection. We found that zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata developing pheomelanin-pigmented feathers during a 12-day exposure to the pro-oxidant diquat dibromide downregulated the expression of Slc7a11 in feather melanocytes, but not the expression of other genes that affect pheomelanogenesis by mechanisms different from cysteine transport such as MC1R and Slc45a2. Accordingly, diquat-treated birds did not suffer increased oxidative stress. This indicates that some animals have evolved an adaptive epigenetic lability that avoids damage derived from pheomelanogenesis. This mechanism should be explored in human Slc7a11 to help combat some cancer types related to cysteine consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ângela Inácio
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Angela Romero-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Carlos Alonso-Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC) - CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain.,Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - CSIC, C/José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
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Romano A, Costanzo A, Rubolini D, Saino N, Møller AP. Geographical and seasonal variation in the intensity of sexual selection in the barn swallowHirundo rustica: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1582-1600. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Romano
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze; Università degli Studi di Milano; via Celoria 26 I-20133 Milano Italy
| | - Alessandra Costanzo
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze; Università degli Studi di Milano; via Celoria 26 I-20133 Milano Italy
| | - Diego Rubolini
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze; Università degli Studi di Milano; via Celoria 26 I-20133 Milano Italy
| | - Nicola Saino
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze; Università degli Studi di Milano; via Celoria 26 I-20133 Milano Italy
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech; Université Paris-Saclay; F-91400 Orsay France
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15
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Jorge García A, Polidori C, Nieves-Aldrey JL. Pheomelanin in the secondary sexual characters of male parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae). ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT 2016; 45:311-319. [PMID: 27224206 DOI: 10.1016/j.asd.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence and distribution of eumelanin and pheomelanin, the most prevalent biological pigments, has been rarely investigated in insects. Particularly yellowish to brownish body parts, which in many vertebrates are associated with pheomelanin, are visible in many insects but their chemical nature was rarely examined to a similar detail. Here, by using Dispersive Raman spectroscopy analysis, we found both eumelanin and pheomelanin in different body parts of male parasitoid wasps of three species of the genus Mesopolobus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), which are known to have species-specific spots and coloured stripes on the legs and/or antennae which are displayed to females during courtship. We found a strong eumelanin signal in the antennal clava of all studied Mesopolobus species and in the circular black spot or callosity and the triangular black projection on the outer apical angle of the typically expanded middle tibia of Mesopolobus tibialis and Mesopolobus xanthocerus. Eumelanin was also the predominant pigment in the black thorax of Mesopolobus and other members of the family. Pheomelanin, on the other hand, was detected as predominant only in certain body parts of M. tibialis and M. xanthocerus, precisely in a very narrow, longitudinal brownish stripe on the middle femur and, only in M. tibialis, in a brownish oval-longitudinal stripe on the middle tibia. The two melanin types co-occurred in most pigmented areas, but more often one is clearly predominant relative to the other, according to the variation of Raman signal intensity of their signature peaks. A further tibial yellowish-orange stripe present in both these species did not include melanins of any type. Pheomelanin, could be more widespread than previously known in insects. A convergent evolution of melanin-based male sexual ornaments between vertebrates (e.g. bird feathers) and wasps can be suggested, opening to a new line of comparative evolutionary studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Jorge García
- Laboratorio de Microscopía, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Carlo Polidori
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales (ICAM), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, s/n, E-45071 Toledo, Spain.
| | - José Luis Nieves-Aldrey
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain.
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16
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Vitousek MN, Tomášek O, Albrecht T, Wilkins MR, Safran RJ. Signal Traits and Oxidative Stress: A Comparative Study across Populations with Divergent Signals. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Galván I, Solano F. Bird Integumentary Melanins: Biosynthesis, Forms, Function and Evolution. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:520. [PMID: 27070583 PMCID: PMC4848976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17040520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanins are the ubiquitous pigments distributed in nature. They are one of the main pigments responsible for colors in living cells. Birds are among the most diverse animals regarding melanin-based coloration, especially in the plumage, although they also pigment bare parts of the integument. This review is devoted to the main characteristics of bird melanins, including updated views of the formation and nature of melanin granules, whose interest has been raised in the last years for inferring the color of extinct birds and non-avian theropod dinosaurs using resistant fossil feathers. The molecular structure of the two main types of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin, and the environmental and genetic factors that regulate avian melanogenesis are also presented, establishing the main relationship between them. Finally, the special functions of melanin in bird feathers are also discussed, emphasizing the aspects more closely related to these animals, such as honest signaling, and the factors that may drive the evolution of pheomelanin and pheomelanin-based color traits, an issue for which birds have been pioneer study models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Francisco Solano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology B & Immunology, School of Medicine and IMIB, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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Chatelain M, Gasparini J, Frantz A. Trace metals, melanin-based pigmentation and their interaction influence immune parameters in feral pigeons (Columba livia). ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:521-529. [PMID: 26809976 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-016-1610-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of trace metals emitted by anthropogenic activities on wildlife is of great concern in urban ecology; yet, information on how they affect individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems remains scarce. In particular, trace metals may impact survival by altering the immune system response to parasites. Plumage melanin is assumed to influence the effects of trace metals on immunity owing to its ability to bind metal ions in feathers and its synthesis being coded by a pleiotropic gene. We thus hypothesized that trace metal exposure would interact with plumage colouration in shaping immune response. We experimentally investigated the interactive effect between exposure to an environmentally relevant range of zinc and/or lead and melanin-based plumage colouration on components of the immune system in feral pigeons (Columba livia). We found that zinc increased anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgY primary response maintenance, buffered the negative effect of lead on anti-KLH IgY secondary response maintenance and tended to increase T-cell mediated phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin response. Lead decreased the peak of the anti-KLH IgY secondary response. In addition, pheomelanic pigeons exhibited a higher secondary anti-KLH IgY response than did eumelanic ones. Finally, T-cell mediated PHA skin response decreased with increasing plumage eumelanin level of birds exposed to lead. Neither treatments nor plumage colouration correlated with endoparasite intensity. Overall, our study points out the effects of trace metals on some parameters of birds' immunity, independently from other confounding urbanization factors, and underlines the need to investigate their impacts on other life history traits and their consequences in the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Chatelain
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UPEC, Paris 7, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - J Gasparini
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UPEC, Paris 7, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, 75005, Paris, France
| | - A Frantz
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UPEC, Paris 7, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Institut d'Ecologie et des Sciences de l'Environnement de Paris, 75005, Paris, France
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Galván I, Wakamatsu K. Color measurement of the animal integument predicts the content of specific melanin forms. RSC Adv 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra17463a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The slope of the reflectance spectra of feathers and hairs predicts their content of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA)-eumelanin and benzothiazole-pheomelanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology
- Doñana Biological Station – CSIC
- 41092 Sevilla
- Spain
| | - Kazumasa Wakamatsu
- Department of Chemistry
- Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences
- Toyoake
- Japan
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Avendaño JE, Donegan TM. A distinctive new subspecies of Scytalopusgriseicollis (Aves, Passeriformes, Rhinocryptidae) from the northern Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and Venezuela. Zookeys 2015:137-53. [PMID: 26085800 PMCID: PMC4467187 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.506.9553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a new subspecies of Pale-bellied Tapaculo Scytalopusgriseicollis from the northern Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and Venezuela. This form differs diagnosably in plumage from described subspecies Scytalopusgriseicollisgriseicollis and Scytalopusgriseicollisgilesi and from the latter in tail length. It is also differentiated non-diagnosably in voice from both these populations. Ecological niche modelling analysis suggests that the new subspecies is restricted to the Andean montane forest and páramo north of both the arid Chicamocha valley and the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Enrique Avendaño
- Programa de Biología y Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad de los Llanos, Sede Barcelona, km 12 vía Puerto López, Villavicencio, COLOMBIA
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Abstract
Knowledge of melanin chemistry has important implications for the study of the evolutionary ecology of animal pigmentation, but the actual chemical diversity of these widely expressed biological pigments has been largely overlooked. Considering all melanin forms and the different conditions of endogenous oxidative stress during their synthesis provides information about physiological costs and benefits of different pigmentation patterns and opens a new perspective to understanding the evolution of color phenotypes in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael Galván
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Estación Biológica de Doñana-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, c/ Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; 2Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular B e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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Increased radiation from Chernobyl decreases the expression of red colouration in natural populations of bank voles (Myodes glareolus). Sci Rep 2014; 4:7141. [PMID: 25413373 PMCID: PMC5382704 DOI: 10.1038/srep07141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pheomelanin is a pink to red version of melanin pigment deposited in skin and hair. Due to its bright colour, pheomelanin plays a crucial function in signalling, in particular sexual signalling. However, production of pheomelanin, as opposed to its dark alternative, eumelanin, bears costs in terms of consumption of antioxidants important for protection of DNA against naturally produced reactive oxidative species. Therefore, decreased expression of pheomelanin is expected in organisms exposed to severe oxidative stress such as that caused by exposure to chronic ionizing radiation. We tested if variable exposure to radiation among natural populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus in Chernobyl affected expression of red colouration in their dorsal fur. The relative redness of dorsal fur was positively correlated with weight, but also negatively correlated with the level of background radiation. These results suggest that the development of the natural red colouration in adult bank voles is affected by ionizing background radiation, and potentially causing elevated levels of oxidative stress. Reduced production of pheomelanin allows more antioxidants to mitigate the oxidative stress caused by radiation. However, changing natural animal colouration for physiological reasons can have ecological costs, if e.g. it causes mismatch with habitat colouration and conspicuousness for predators.
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Napolitano A, Panzella L, Monfrecola G, d'Ischia M. Pheomelanin-induced oxidative stress: bright and dark chemistry bridging red hair phenotype and melanoma. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2014; 27:721-33. [PMID: 24814217 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The complex interplay of genetic and epigenetic factors linking sun exposure to melanoma in the red hair phenotype hinges on the peculiar physical and chemical properties of pheomelanins and the underlying biosynthetic pathway, which is switched on by the effects of inactivating polymorphisms in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene. In addition to the long recognized UV-dependent pathways of toxicity and cell damage, a UV-independent pro-oxidant state induced by pheomelanin within the genetically determined background of the red hair phenotype has recently been disclosed. This review provides a detailed discussion of the possible UV-dependent and UV-independent chemical mechanisms underlying pheomelanin-mediated oxidative stress, with special reference to the oxygen-dependent depletion of glutathione and other cell antioxidants. The new concept of pheomelanin as a 'living' polymer and biocatalyst that may grow by exposure to monomer building blocks and may trigger autooxidative processes is also discussed. As a corollary, treatment of inflammatory skin diseases in RHP patients is briefly commented. Finally, possible concerted strategies for melanoma prevention in the red hair phenotype are proposed.
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Grunst AS, Salgado-Ortiz J, Rotenberry JT, Grunst ML. Phaeomelanin- and carotenoid-based pigmentation reflect oxidative status in two populations of the yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1681-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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