Naturally Fluorescent Field Mouse, Mus booduga (Gray, 1837) and Common House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus (Schlegel, 1836) as Model Organisms for Biomedical Studies

Abstract

Since the discovery of the Green fluorescent protein from crystal jellyfish Aequorea victoria, many fluorescent organisms have been identified from different parts of the world. As a result, various fluorescent proteins such as GFP, RFP, and DsRed are discovered and widely used in genetic engineering studies to label a wide range of proteins and genes in mouse models. In bioimaging research, a variety of mouse models are used to visualize fluorescence-based phenotypic variations. In this study, the field mouse, Mus booduga, and common house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus dispalyed natural blue fluorescence (440–480 nm). The fur of M. booduga and bones of H. frenatus have displayed blue fluorescence. These organisms may serve as a naturally fluorescent models in bioimaging studies to study phenotypic changes triggered by physico-chemical factors. This study infers that implication of fluorescent terrestrial chordates in evolutionary studies would delineate the origins (ocean to land) and phylogenetic pathways of fluorescent trait in eukaryotes.