The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae)
One of the main functions of physiological color change is thermoregulation. This change occurs much more rapidly than morphological color change, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in liza...
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doaj-77c8bad895634154a114d7efc8e5c6d32021-06-02T21:19:55ZengThe Company of BiologistsBiology Open2046-63902021-03-0110310.1242/bio.058503058503The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae)Kun Guo0Jun Zhong1Lin Zhu2Fan Xie3Yu Du4Xiang Ji5 Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China One of the main functions of physiological color change is thermoregulation. This change occurs much more rapidly than morphological color change, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in lizards using Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) as the model system. Body color was thermally sensitive, becoming increasingly light as body temperatures deviated from the level (∼30°C) preferred by this species. We identified 3389 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lizards at 24°C and 30°C, and 1,097 DEGs between lizards at 36°C and 30°C. Temperature affected the cAMP signal pathway, motor proteins, cytoskeleton, and the expression of genes related to melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and melanocyte-concentrating hormone (MCH). Our data suggest that the role of physiological color change in thermoregulation is achieved in T. septentrionalis by altering the arrangement of pigments and thus the amount of solar radiation absorbed and reflected. G protein-coupling system inhibits adenylate cyclase activity to transform ATP into cAMP and thereby causes rapid pigment aggregation. MCH deactivates the G proteins and thereby initiates pigment dispersion. This mechanism differs from that reported for teleost fish where MCH activates the G proteins and thereby causes pigment aggregation. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.http://bio.biologists.org/content/10/3/bio058503cytoskeletonmotor proteinphysiological color changerna sequencingthermoregulation |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Kun Guo Jun Zhong Lin Zhu Fan Xie Yu Du Xiang Ji |
spellingShingle |
Kun Guo Jun Zhong Lin Zhu Fan Xie Yu Du Xiang Ji The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) Biology Open cytoskeleton motor protein physiological color change rna sequencing thermoregulation |
author_facet |
Kun Guo Jun Zhong Lin Zhu Fan Xie Yu Du Xiang Ji |
author_sort |
Kun Guo |
title |
The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) |
title_short |
The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) |
title_full |
The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) |
title_fullStr |
The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) |
title_full_unstemmed |
The thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) |
title_sort |
thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in takydromus septentrionalis (lacertidae) |
publisher |
The Company of Biologists |
series |
Biology Open |
issn |
2046-6390 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
One of the main functions of physiological color change is thermoregulation. This change occurs much more rapidly than morphological color change, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in lizards using Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) as the model system. Body color was thermally sensitive, becoming increasingly light as body temperatures deviated from the level (∼30°C) preferred by this species. We identified 3389 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lizards at 24°C and 30°C, and 1,097 DEGs between lizards at 36°C and 30°C. Temperature affected the cAMP signal pathway, motor proteins, cytoskeleton, and the expression of genes related to melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and melanocyte-concentrating hormone (MCH). Our data suggest that the role of physiological color change in thermoregulation is achieved in T. septentrionalis by altering the arrangement of pigments and thus the amount of solar radiation absorbed and reflected. G protein-coupling system inhibits adenylate cyclase activity to transform ATP into cAMP and thereby causes rapid pigment aggregation. MCH deactivates the G proteins and thereby initiates pigment dispersion. This mechanism differs from that reported for teleost fish where MCH activates the G proteins and thereby causes pigment aggregation. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. |
topic |
cytoskeleton motor protein physiological color change rna sequencing thermoregulation |
url |
http://bio.biologists.org/content/10/3/bio058503 |
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