The Developmental Genetics of Vertebrate Color Pattern Formation: Lessons from Zebrafish.

摘要: Color patterns are prominent features of many animals; they highly variable and evolve rapidly leading to large diversities even within a single genus. As targets for natural as well sexual selection, high evolutionary significance. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become an important model organism developmental biology biomedical research in general, it is the study color pattern formation vertebrates. fish display conspicuous alternating blue golden stripes on body anal tail fins. This produced by three different types pigment cells (chromatophores) arranged precise layers hypodermis fish. In this essay, we will summarize recent advances understanding genetic basis stripe zebrafish. We describe cellular events during metamorphosis based long-term lineage imaging. Mutant analysis revealed that number signaling pathways involved establishment maintenance individual cells. However, striped itself generated self-organizing mechanisms requiring interactions between all cell types. involvement integral membrane proteins, including connexins potassium channels, suggests direct physical contacts chromatophores involved, directed transport small molecules or bioelectrical coupling these interactions. mode patterning transmitting spatial information adjacent tissues superimposed unprecedented other systems. propose variations among Danio species caused allelic differences genes responsible