kcnj13 regulates pigment cell shapes in zebrafish and has diverged by cis-regulatory evolution between Danio species

Citations Over Time

Abstract

Teleost fish of the genus Danio are excellent models to study the genetic and cellular bases of pigment pattern variation in vertebrates. The two sister species Danio rerio and Danio aesculapii show divergent patterns of horizontal stripes and vertical bars that are partly caused by the divergence of the potassium channel gene kcnj13. Here, we show that kcnj13 is required only in melanophores for interactions with xanthophores and iridophores, which cause location-specific pigment cell shapes and thereby influence colour pattern and contrast in D. rerio. Cis-regulatory rather than protein coding changes underlie kcnj13 divergence between the two Danio species. Our results suggest that homotypic and heterotypic interactions between the pigment cells and their shapes diverged between species by quantitative changes in kcnj13 expression during pigment pattern diversification.

Related Papers

• → Deconstructing evolution of adult phenotypes: genetic analyses ofkitreveal homology and evolutionary novelty during adult pigment pattern development ofDaniofishes(2007)50 cited
• → Control of chromatophore movements in dermal chromatic units of blue damselfish—I. The melanophore(1985)17 cited
• → The effects of background colouration and ?-MSH treatment on melanophore frequency in winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus(1993)16 cited
• → The response of melanophores in isolated scales of Fundulus heteroclitus to melanophore-stimulating hormone (MSH)(1970)9 cited
• → Use of the Spectrophotometer for Measuring Melanin Dispersion in the Frog(1948)6 cited