Mills Margaret G, Patterson Larissa B
Department of Biology, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2009 Feb;20(1):72-81. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2008.11.012. Epub 2008 Nov 27.
Animals display diverse colors and patterns that vary within and between species. Similar phenotypes appear in both closely related and widely divergent taxa. Pigment patterns thus provide an opportunity to explore how development is altered to produce differences in form and whether similar phenotypes share a common genetic basis. Understanding the development and evolution of pigment patterns requires knowledge of the cellular interactions and signaling pathways that produce those patterns. These complex traits provide unparalleled opportunities for integrating studies from ecology and behavior to molecular biology and biophysics.
动物呈现出多样的颜色和图案,这些在物种内部和物种之间都有所不同。相似的表型出现在亲缘关系密切和差异很大的分类群中。因此,色素图案提供了一个机会,来探索发育过程是如何被改变以产生形态差异的,以及相似的表型是否共享共同的遗传基础。了解色素图案的发育和进化需要掌握产生这些图案的细胞相互作用和信号通路的知识。这些复杂的性状为整合从生态学、行为学到分子生物学和生物物理学的研究提供了无与伦比的机会。