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Guidetti G, Kim T, Dutcher A, Presti ML, Ovstrovsky-Snider N, Omenetto FG. Co-modulation of structural and pigmentary coloration in Lyropteryx apollonia butterfly. OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 31:43712-43721. [PMID: 38178461 DOI: 10.1364/oe.500130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Nature produces some of the most striking optical effects through the combination of structural and chemical principles to give rise to a wide range of colors. However, creating non-spectral colors that extend beyond the color spectrum is a challenging task, as it requires meeting the requirements of both structural and pigmentary coloration. In this study, we investigate the magenta non-spectral color found in the scales of the ventral spots of the Lyropteryx apollonia butterfly. By employing correlated optical and electron microscopy, as well as pigment extraction techniques, we reveal how this color arises from the co-modulation of pigmentary and structural coloration. Specifically, the angle-dependent blue coloration results from the interference of visible light with chitin-based nanostructures, while the diffused red coloration is generated by an ommochrome pigment. The ability to produce such highly conspicuous non-spectral colors provides insights for the development of hierarchical structures with precise control over their optical response. These structures can be used to create hierarchically-arranged systems with a broadened color palette.
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How SHC, Banerjee TD, Monteiro A. Vermilion and cinnabar are involved in ommochrome pigment biosynthesis in eyes but not wings of Bicyclus anynana butterflies. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9368. [PMID: 37296302 PMCID: PMC10256707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36491-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
If the same pigment is found in different tissues in a body, it is natural to assume that the same metabolic pathways are deployed similarly in each tissue. Here we show that this is not the case for ommochromes, the red and orange pigments found in the eyes and wings of butterflies. We tested the expression and function of vermilion and cinnabar, two known fly genes in the ommochrome pathway, in the development of pigments in the eyes and in the wings of Bicyclus anynana butterflies, both traits having reddish/orange pigments. By using fluorescent in-situ hybridization (HCR3.0) we localized the expression of vermilion and cinnabar in the cytoplasm of pigment cells in the ommatidia but observed no clear expression for either gene on larval and pupal wings. We then disrupted the function of both genes, using CRISPR-Cas9, which resulted in the loss of pigment in the eyes but not in the wings. Using thin-layer chromatography and UV-vis spectroscopy we identified the presence of ommochrome and ommochrome precursors in the orange wing scales and in the hemolymph of pupae. We conclude that the wings either synthesize ommochromes locally, with yet unidentified enzymes or incorporate these pigments synthesized elsewhere from the hemolymph. Different metabolic pathways or transport mechanisms, thus, lead to the presence of ommochromes in the wings and eyes of B. anynana butterflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Hong Chuen How
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore
| | - Tirtha Das Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore.
| | - Antόnia Monteiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore.
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3
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Forman KA, Thulin CD. Ommochrome Wing Pigments in the Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2022; 22:12. [PMID: 36562324 PMCID: PMC9780745 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieac076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) use bright orange coloration to warn off predators as well as for sexual selection. Surprisingly the underlying pigment compounds have not been previously characterized. We used LCMS and fragmentation MS (including MSMS and MSn) of extracted pigments from nonmigratory summer-generation female monarch forewings to identify and provide relative quantitation of various orange pigments from D. plexippus. We observed seven ommochrome pigments, with xanthommatin and decarboxylated xanthommatin being the most abundant followed by xanthommatin methyl ester. Among the seven pigments, we also observed molecules that correspond to deaminated forms of these three amine-containing pigments. To the best of our knowledge, these deaminated compounds have not been previously discovered. A seventh pigment that we observed was α-hydroxyxanthommatin methyl ester, previously described in other nymphalid butterflies. We also show that chemical reduction of pigment extracts results in a change of their color from yellow to red, concomitant with the appearance of dihydro-xanthommatin and similarly reduced forms of the other pigment compounds. These findings indicate that monarchs may employ differences in the redox states of these pigments in order to achieve different hues of orange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyri A Forman
- Department of Chemistry, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT 84058, USA
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4
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Bonnard M, Boury B, Parrot I. Xanthurenic Acid in the Shell Purple Patterns of Crassostrea gigas: First Evidence of an Ommochrome Metabolite in a Mollusk Shell. Molecules 2021; 26:7263. [PMID: 34885845 PMCID: PMC8658808 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26237263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ommochromes are one of the least studied groups of natural pigments, frequently confused with melanin and, so far, exclusively found in invertebrates such as cephalopods and butterflies. In this study focused on the purple color of the shells of a mollusk, Crassostrea gigas, the first evidence of a metabolite of ommochromes, xanthurenic acid (XA), was obtained by liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). In addition to XA and various porphyrins previously identified, a second group of high molecular weight acid-soluble pigments (HMASP) has been identified with physicochemical and structural characteristics similar to those of ommochromes. In addition, fragmentation of HMASP by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has revealed a substructure common to XA and ommochromes of the ommatin type. Furthermore, the presence of melanins was excluded by the absence of characteristic by-products among the oxidation residues of HMASP. Altogether, these results show that the purple color of the shells of Crassostrea gigas is a complex association of porphyrins and ommochromes of potentially ommatin or ommin type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Bonnard
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, 34095 Montpellier, France;
- TARBOURIECH-MEDITHAU, 34340 Marseillan, France
| | - Bruno Boury
- ICGM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Isabelle Parrot
- IBMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, 34095 Montpellier, France;
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Ruttenberg DM, VanKuren NW, Nallu S, Yen SH, Peggie D, Lohman DJ, Kronforst MR. The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic 'dual' mimicry in the butterfly Elymnias hypermnestra. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202192. [PMID: 33434461 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is a major component of morphological variation across the tree of life, but the mechanisms underlying phenotypic differences between sexes of a single species are poorly understood. We examined the population genomics and biogeography of the common palmfly Elymnias hypermnestra, a dual mimic in which female wing colour patterns are either dark brown (melanic) or bright orange, mimicking toxic Euploea and Danaus species, respectively. As males always have a melanic wing colour pattern, this makes E. hypermnestra a fascinating model organism in which populations vary in sexual dimorphism. Population structure analysis revealed that there were three genetically distinct E. hypermnestra populations, which we further validated by creating a phylogenomic species tree and inferring historical barriers to gene flow. This species tree demonstrated that multiple lineages with orange females do not form a monophyletic group, and the same is true of clades with melanic females. We identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the colour patterning gene WntA that were significantly associated with the female colour pattern polymorphism, suggesting that this gene affects sexual dimorphism. Given WntA's role in colour patterning across Nymphalidae, E. hypermnestra females demonstrate the repeatability of the evolution of sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dee M Ruttenberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicholas W VanKuren
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sumitha Nallu
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Shen-Horn Yen
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
| | - Djunijanti Peggie
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Cibinong-Bogor 16911, Indonesia
| | - David J Lohman
- Biology Department, City College of New York, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.,PhD Program in Biology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA.,Entomology Section, National Museum of Natural History, Manila 1000, Philippines
| | - Marcus R Kronforst
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Dontsov AE, Sakina NL, Yakovleva MA, Bastrakov AI, Bastrakova IG, Zagorinsky AA, Ushakova NA, Feldman TB, Ostrovsky MA. Ommochromes from the Compound Eyes of Insects: Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Activity. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 85:668-678. [PMID: 32586230 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297920060048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was screening of ommochromes from the compound eyes of insects and comparison of their antioxidant properties. Ommochromes were isolated in preparative quantities from insects of five different families: Stratiomyidae, Sphingidae, Blaberidae, Acrididae, and Tenebrionidae. The yield of ommochromes (dry pigment weight) was 0.9-5.4% of tissue wet weight depending on the insect species. Isolated pigments were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and represented a mixture of several ommochromes of the ommatin series. The isolated ommochromes displayed a pronounced fluorescence with the emission maxima at 435-450 nm and 520-535 nm; furthermore, the emission intensity increased significantly upon ommochrome oxidation with hydrogen peroxide. The ommochromes produced a stable EPR signal consisting of a singlet line with g = 2.0045-2.0048, width of 1.20-1.27 mT, and high concentration of paramagnetic centers (> 1017 spin/g dry weight). All the investigated ommochromes demonstrated high antiradical activity measured from the degree of chemiluminescence quenching in a model system containing luminol, hemoglobin, and hydrogen peroxide. The ommochromes strongly inhibited peroxidation of the photoreceptor cell outer segments induced by visible light in the presence of lipofuscin granules from the human retinal pigment epithelium, as well as suppressed iron/ascorbate-mediated lipid peroxidation. The obtained results are important for understanding the biological functions of ommochromes in invertebrates and identifying invertebrate species that could be used as efficient sources of ommochromes for pharmacological preparations to prevent and treat pathologies associated with the oxidative stress development.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Dontsov
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - N L Sakina
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - M A Yakovleva
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia
| | - A I Bastrakov
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | - I G Bastrakova
- All-Russian Research Institute of Silviculture and Mechanization of Forestry, Pushkino, Moscow Region, 141200, Russia
| | - A A Zagorinsky
- Russian Forest Protection Center, Pushkino, Moscow Region, 141202, Russia
| | - N A Ushakova
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia
| | - T B Feldman
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia.,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - M A Ostrovsky
- Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119334, Russia. .,Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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Stavenga DG, Leertouwer HL, Arikawa K. Coloration principles of the Great purple emperor butterfly (Sasakia charonda). ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2020; 6:13. [PMID: 33292721 PMCID: PMC7664033 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-020-00164-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The dorsal wings of male Sasakia charonda butterflies display a striking blue iridescent coloration, which is accentuated by white, orange-yellow and red spots, as well as by brown margins. The ventral wings also have a variegated, but more subdued, pattern. We investigated the optical basis of the various colors of intact wings as well as isolated wing scales by applying light and electron microscopy, imaging scatterometry and (micro)spectrophotometry. The prominent blue iridescence is due to scales with tightly packed, multilayered ridges that contain melanin pigment. The scales in the brown wing margins also contain melanin. Pigments extracted from the orange-yellow and red spots indicate the presence of 3-OH-kynurenine and ommochrome pigment. The scales in the white spots also have multilayered ridges but lack pigment. The lower lamina of the scales plays a so-far undervalued but often crucial role. Its thin-film properties color the majority of the ventral wing scales, which are unpigmented and have large windows. The lower lamina acting as a thin-film reflector generally contributes to the reflectance of the various scale types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doekele G Stavenga
- Surfaces and thin films, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747, AG, Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Hein L Leertouwer
- Surfaces and thin films, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, NL-9747, AG, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kentaro Arikawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, Sokendai-Hayama, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, 240-0193, Japan
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Figon F, Munsch T, Croix C, Viaud-Massuard MC, Lanoue A, Casas J. Uncyclized xanthommatin is a key ommochrome intermediate in invertebrate coloration. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 124:103403. [PMID: 32574597 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ommochromes are widespread pigments that mediate multiple functions in invertebrates. The two main families of ommochromes are ommatins and ommins, which both originate from the kynurenine pathway but differ in their backbone, thereby in their coloration and function. Despite its broad significance, how the structural diversity of ommochromes arises in vivo has remained an open question since their first description. In this study, we combined organic synthesis, analytical chemistry and organelle purification to address this issue. From a set of synthesized ommatins, we derived a fragmentation pattern that helped elucidating the structure of new ommochromes. We identified uncyclized xanthommatin as the elusive biological intermediate that links the kynurenine pathway to the ommatin pathway within ommochromasomes, the ommochrome-producing organelles. Due to its unique structure, we propose that uncyclized xanthommatin functions as a key branching metabolite in the biosynthesis and structural diversification of ommatins and ommins, from insects to cephalopods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Figon
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France.
| | - Thibaut Munsch
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA 2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Cécile Croix
- Génétique, Immunothérapie, Chimie et Cancer, UMR CNRS 7292, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | | | - Arnaud Lanoue
- Biomolécules et Biotechnologies Végétales, EA 2106, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
| | - Jérôme Casas
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR CNRS 7261, Université de Tours, 37200, Tours, France
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Wheeler LC, Smith SD. Computational Modeling of Anthocyanin Pathway Evolution: Biases, Hotspots, and Trade-offs. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:585-598. [PMID: 31120530 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The alteration of metabolic pathways is a common mechanism underlying the evolution of new phenotypes. Flower color is a striking example of the importance of metabolic evolution in a complex phenotype, wherein shifts in the activity of the underlying pathway lead to a wide range of pigments. Although experimental work has identified common classes of mutations responsible for transitions among colors, we lack a unifying model that relates pathway function and activity to the evolution of distinct pigment phenotypes. One challenge in creating such a model is the branching structure of pigment pathways, which may lead to evolutionary trade-offs due to competition for shared substrates. In order to predict the effects of shifts in enzyme function and activity on pigment production, we created a simple kinetic model of a major plant pigmentation pathway: the anthocyanin pathway. This model describes the production of the three classes of blue, purple, and red anthocyanin pigments, and accordingly, includes multiple branches and substrate competition. We first studied the general behavior of this model using a naïve set of parameters. We then stochastically evolved the pathway toward a defined optimum and analyzed the patterns of fixed mutations. This approach allowed us to quantify the probability density of trajectories through pathway state space and identify the types and number of changes. Finally, we examined whether our simulated results qualitatively align with experimental observations, i.e., the predominance of mutations which change color by altering the function of branching genes in the pathway. These analyses provide a theoretical framework that can be used to predict the consequences of new mutations in terms of both pigment phenotypes and pleiotropic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- L C Wheeler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S D Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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Ushakova N, Dontsov A, Sakina N, Bastrakov A, Ostrovsky M. Antioxidative Properties of Melanins and Ommochromes from Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens. Biomolecules 2019; 9:E408. [PMID: 31450873 PMCID: PMC6770681 DOI: 10.3390/biom9090408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 08/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A comparative study of melanin and ommochrome-containing samples, isolated from the black soldier fly (BSF) by enzymatic hydrolysis, alkaline and acid alcohol extraction or by acid hydrolysis, was carried out. Melanin was isolated both as a melanin-chitin complex and as a water-soluble melanin. Acid hydrolysis followed by delipidization yielded a more concentrated melanin sample, the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal of which was 2.6 × 1018 spin/g. The ommochromes were extracted from the BSF eyes with acid methanol. The antiradical activity of BSF melanins and ommochromes was determined by the method of quenching of luminol chemiluminescence. It has been shown that delipidization of water-soluble melanin increases its antioxidant properties. A comparison of the antioxidant activity of BSF melanins and ommochromes in relation to photoinduced lipid peroxidation was carried out. The ESR characteristics of native and oxidized melanins and ommochromes were studied. It is assumed that H. illucens adult flies can be a useful source of natural pigments with antioxidant properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Ushakova
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Alexander Dontsov
- N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
| | - Natalia Sakina
- N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Bastrakov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail Ostrovsky
- N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia
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