Optix regulates nanomorphology of butterfly scales primarily via its effects on pigmentation

IF 2.4 3区环境科学与生态学 Q2 ECOLOGY

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Pub Date : 2024-05-01 DOI:10.3389/fevo.2024.1392050

Tirtha Das Banerjee, Cédric Finet, Kwi Shan Seah, Antónia Monteiro

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that Optix regulates lower lamina thickness and the type of pigment that is produced in wing scales of a few butterfly species. However, the role of Optix in regulating pigment production across species, and in regulating additional aspects of scale morphology remains to be investigated. By combining microspectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology on wild-type and Optix Bicyclus anynana crispants, we show that Optix regulates the production of orange pigments (ommochromes), represses the production of brown pigments (melanins), and regulates the morphology of the lower and upper surface of orange scales. Our findings suggest a conserved role of Optix as a switch gene that activates ommochrome and represses melanin synthesis across butterflies. By comparing these effects with other mutations, where only melanin is removed from scales, we propose that pigmentary changes, alone, affect the way that chitin polymerizes within a scale, changing lower lamina thickness as well as multiple intricate structures of the upper surface.

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Optix 主要通过影响色素沉着来调节蝴蝶鳞片的纳米形态

先前的研究表明，Optix 可调节一些蝴蝶物种翅鳞的下层厚度和色素的产生类型。然而，Optix 在调节不同物种的色素生成以及调节鳞片形态的其他方面的作用仍有待研究。通过结合显微分光光度法、扫描电子显微镜和聚焦离子束技术对野生型和Optix Bicyclus anynana脆片进行研究，我们发现Optix能调节橙色色素（omochromes）的产生，抑制棕色色素（melanins）的产生，并调节橙色鳞片下表面和上表面的形态。我们的研究结果表明，Optix作为一个开关基因，在蝴蝶中具有激活omochromes和抑制黑色素合成的保守作用。通过将这些影响与其他只去除鳞片黑色素的基因突变进行比较，我们认为色素变化本身就会影响鳞片内几丁质的聚合方式，从而改变下层鳞片的厚度以及上表面的多种复杂结构。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Environmental Science-Ecology

CiteScore

4.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

1143

审稿时长

12 weeks

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