Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China.
Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China.
Biol Open. 2021 Mar 26;10(3):bio058503. doi: 10.1242/bio.058503.
One of the main functions of physiological color change is thermoregulation. This change occurs much more rapidly than morphological color change, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change in lizards using (Lacertidae) as the model system. Body color was thermally sensitive, becoming increasingly light as body temperatures deviated from the level (∼30°C) preferred by this species. We identified 3389 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lizards at 24°C and 30°C, and 1,097 DEGs between lizards at 36°C and 30°C. Temperature affected the cAMP signal pathway, motor proteins, cytoskeleton, and the expression of genes related to melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and melanocyte-concentrating hormone (MCH). Our data suggest that the role of physiological color change in thermoregulation is achieved in by altering the arrangement of pigments and thus the amount of solar radiation absorbed and reflected. G protein-coupling system inhibits adenylate cyclase activity to transform ATP into cAMP and thereby causes rapid pigment aggregation. MCH deactivates the G proteins and thereby initiates pigment dispersion. This mechanism differs from that reported for teleost fish where MCH activates the G proteins and thereby causes pigment aggregation.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
生理颜色变化的主要功能之一是体温调节。这种变化发生的速度比形态颜色变化快得多，但潜在的机制仍知之甚少。在这里，我们使用（蜥蜴科）作为模型系统，研究了蜥蜴生理颜色变化的热依赖性和分子基础。体色对温度敏感，随着体温偏离该物种偏好的水平（约 30°C），体色变得越来越浅。我们在 24°C 和 30°C 的蜥蜴之间鉴定出 3389 个差异表达基因（DEGs），在 36°C 和 30°C 的蜥蜴之间鉴定出 1097 个差异表达基因。温度影响 cAMP 信号通路、运动蛋白、细胞骨架以及与促黑素细胞激素（MSH）和黑素细胞集中激素（MCH）相关的基因的表达。我们的数据表明，通过改变色素的排列方式以及吸收和反射的太阳辐射量，蜥蜴的生理颜色变化在体温调节中发挥作用。G 蛋白偶联系统抑制腺苷酸环化酶活性，将 ATP 转化为 cAMP，从而导致色素快速聚集。MCH 使 G 蛋白失活，从而引发色素分散。这种机制与报道的硬骨鱼不同，硬骨鱼中 MCH 激活 G 蛋白，从而导致色素聚集。本文有一篇与该论文第一作者的相关第一人称访谈。
