Manuel Scimeca, Rita Bonfiglio, Giuliano Colosimo, Eleonora Candi, Glenn P Gerber, Gregory A Lewbart, Alessandro Mauriello, Gerry Melino, Christian Sevilla, Yufang Shi, Ying Wang, Gabriele Gentile
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Starting from these considerations the present study investigates the histological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features to comprehensively characterize the skin in adults of three species of Galápagos iguanas (A. cristatus, C. subcristatus and C. marthae). Morphological analysis revealed significant differences among the species, with the black-colored skin of A. cristatus showing a melanin-rich but vessel-poor dermis, while C. subcristatus and C. marthae displayed varying distributions of melanosomes and melanocytes. Notably, the absence of iridophores was consistent across all samples due to the absence of birefringent material under the optical microscope. Morphometric evaluations highlighted interspecific differences in the stratum corneum thickness, particularly between black- and non-black-colored (irrespectively if yellowish or pink) skin. The ultrastructural investigation confirmed the absence of iridophores in all analyzed samples. 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引用次数: 0
摘要
鬣蜥表现出不同的颜色和行为,反映了对不同栖息地的进化适应;特别是Galápagos鬣蜥具有独特的颜色形态和独特的生态位。虽然鬣蜥的外部着色具有生态学意义,但对其皮肤的组织学和超微结构方面的全面研究可以深入了解它们对极端环境的适应,例如高紫外线暴露。从这些考虑出发,本研究调查了三种Galápagos鬣蜥(A. cristatus, C. subcristatus和C. marthae)成年皮肤的组织学、超微结构和免疫组织化学特征,以全面表征它们的皮肤。形态学分析显示了不同物种之间的显著差异,黑皮肤的cristatus显示出富含黑色素但缺乏血管的真皮,而cristatus下和marthae的黑素体和黑素细胞分布不同。值得注意的是,由于在光学显微镜下没有双折射材料,所有样品中虹膜团的缺失是一致的。形态计量学评估强调了角质层厚度的种间差异,特别是黑色和非黑色(如果是黄色或粉红色则无关)皮肤之间的差异。超微结构研究证实了所有分析样品中不存在虹膜团。免疫组织化学检测细胞角蛋白表达,结果显示马氏松非黑(粉色)皮肤表皮呈层状上皮。增厚的角质层和无色素皮肤表皮的分层可以帮助粉红鬣蜥应对沃尔夫火山的极端条件,特别是与紫外线照射有关的条件。这些皮肤特征可能会降低紫外线对表层松弛真皮的穿透能力,从而减弱潜在的紫外线相关损伤,如DNA断裂和活性氧的产生。这些发现为这些鬣蜥的适应策略提供了见解。
Ultrastructural studies distinguish skin diversities among Galápagos iguanas.
Iguanas exhibit diverse colors and behaviors reflecting evolutionarily adaptation to various habitats; in particular, the Galápagos iguanas represent unique color morphologies with distinct ecological niches. While external coloration in iguanas has ecological implications, comprehensive studies on the histological and ultrastructural aspects of their skin can provide insight into their adaptation to extreme environments, such as high UV exposure. Starting from these considerations the present study investigates the histological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features to comprehensively characterize the skin in adults of three species of Galápagos iguanas (A. cristatus, C. subcristatus and C. marthae). Morphological analysis revealed significant differences among the species, with the black-colored skin of A. cristatus showing a melanin-rich but vessel-poor dermis, while C. subcristatus and C. marthae displayed varying distributions of melanosomes and melanocytes. Notably, the absence of iridophores was consistent across all samples due to the absence of birefringent material under the optical microscope. Morphometric evaluations highlighted interspecific differences in the stratum corneum thickness, particularly between black- and non-black-colored (irrespectively if yellowish or pink) skin. The ultrastructural investigation confirmed the absence of iridophores in all analyzed samples. The cytokeratin expression assessed by immunohistochemistry showed stratified epithelium in the epidermis of C. marthae non-black-colored (pink) skin. The presence of a thickened stratum corneum and the stratification of the epidermis in non-pigmented skin could help the pink iguana to cope with the extreme conditions of the Wolf volcano, especially in relation to UV exposure. These skin characteristics may reduce the penetration power of UV rays into the superficial loose dermis, thereby attenuating potential UV-related damage such as DNA breaks and ROS generation. These findings offer insights into the adaptive strategies of these iguanas.
期刊介绍:
Biology Direct serves the life science research community as an open access, peer-reviewed online journal, providing authors and readers with an alternative to the traditional model of peer review. Biology Direct considers original research articles, hypotheses, comments, discovery notes and reviews in subject areas currently identified as those most conducive to the open review approach, primarily those with a significant non-experimental component.