Dataset Information

Behavioural changes controlled by catecholaminergic systems explain recurrent loss of pigmentation in cavefish.

ABSTRACT: Multiple cave populations of the teleost Astyanax mexicanus have repeatedly reduced or lost eye and body pigmentation during adaptation to dark caves. Albinism, the complete absence of melanin pigmentation, is controlled by loss-of-function mutations in the oca2 gene. The mutation is accompanied by an increase in the melanin synthesis precursor l-tyrosine, which is also a precursor for catecholamine synthesis. In this study, we show a relationship between pigmentation loss, enhanced catecholamine synthesis and responsiveness to anaesthesia, determined as a proxy for catecholamine-related behaviours. We demonstrate that anaesthesia resistance (AR) is enhanced in multiple depigmented and albino cavefish (CF), inversely proportional to the degree of pigmentation loss, controlled by the oca2 gene, and can be modulated by experimental manipulations of l-tyrosine or the catecholamine norepinephrine (NE). Moreover, NE is increased in the brains of multiple albino and depigmented CF relative to surface fish. The results provide new insights into the evolution of pigment modification because NE controls a suite of adaptive behaviours similar to AR that may represent a target of natural selection. Thus, understanding the relationship between loss of pigmentation and AR may provide insight into the role of natural selection in the evolution of albinism via a melanin-catecholamine trade-off.

SUBMITTER: Bilandzija H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5966602 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Behavioural changes controlled by catecholaminergic systems explain recurrent loss of pigmentation in cavefish.

Bilandžija Helena H Abraham Lindsey L Ma Li L Renner Kenneth J KJ Jeffery William R WR

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20180501 1878

Multiple cave populations of the teleost <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> have repeatedly reduced or lost eye and body pigmentation during adaptation to dark caves. Albinism, the complete absence of melanin pigmentation, is controlled by loss-of-function mutations in the <i>oca2</i> gene. The mutation is accompanied by an increase in the melanin synthesis precursor l-tyrosine, which is also a precursor for catecholamine synthesis. In this study, we show a relationship between pigmentation loss, enhance ...[more]

PMID: 29720416

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Project description:BackgroundThe numerous diverse metabolic pathways by which plant compounds can be produced make it difficult to predict how colour pigmentation is lost for different tissues and plants. This study employs mathematical and in silico methods to identify correlated gene targets for the loss of colour pigmentation in plants from a whole cell perspective based on the full metabolic network of Arabidopsis. This involves extracting a self-contained flavonoid subnetwork from the AraCyc database and calculating feasible metabolic routes or elementary modes (EMs) for it. Those EMs leading to anthocyanin compounds are taken to constitute the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP) and their interplay with the rest of the EMs is used to study the minimal cut sets (MCSs), which are different combinations of reactions to block for eliminating colour pigmentation. By relating the reactions to their corresponding genes, the MCSs are used to explore the phenotypic roles of the ABP genes, their relevance to the ABP and the impact their eliminations would have on other processes in the cell.ResultsSimulation and prediction results of the effect of different MCSs for eliminating colour pigmentation correspond with existing experimental observations. Two examples are: i) two MCSs which require the simultaneous suppression of genes DFR and ANS to eliminate colour pigmentation, correspond to observational results of the same genes being co-regulated for eliminating floral pigmentation in Aquilegia and; ii) the impact of another MCS requiring CHS suppression, corresponds to findings where the suppression of the early gene CHS eliminated nearly all flavonoids but did not affect the production of volatile benzenoids responsible for floral scent.ConclusionsFrom the various MCSs identified for eliminating colour pigmentation, several correlate to existing experimental observations, indicating that different MCSs are suitable for different plants, different cells, and different conditions and could also be related to regulatory genes. Being able to correlate the predictions with experimental results gives credence to the use of these mathematical and in silico analyses methods in the design of experiments. The methods could be used to prioritize target enzymes for different objectives to achieve desired outcomes, especially for less understood pathways.

Dataset Information

Behavioural changes controlled by catecholaminergic systems explain recurrent loss of pigmentation in cavefish.

Publications

Behavioural changes controlled by catecholaminergic systems explain recurrent loss of pigmentation in cavefish.

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