Conservation of the chromatophore pigment response

Abstract

Toxicant sensing technology has evolved to include biological sensors, such as cell-based biosensors, which rely on viable cells to convey a measurable physiological signal. Chromatophores are a class of pigment cells that have been investigated as cell-based biosensors. We report the characterization of Oncorhynchus tshawytscha melanophores and describe the melanophore pigment response to neurotransmitters in terms of pigment area occupied. Compared with the previously described model, Betta splendens erythrophores, O. tshawytscha melanophores responded similarly, indicating that pigment responses are biologically conserved between these two species. Additionally, melanophores responded to mercuric chloride and sodium arsenite, similar to B. splendens erythrophores, suggesting that melanophores can be used as detectors for environmental toxicants. This report highlights the potential of O. tshawytscha melanophores to be used as cell-based biosensors to address environmental toxicity, and warrants a continued investigation to strengthen this technology and its applications.

Use of the Zebrafish Larvae as a Model to Study Cigarette Smoke Condensate Toxicity

“…The larvae were treated with CSCs from 3R4F and BSV prepared under ISO conditions ( Fig. 3 ) which resulted in phenotypic changes to the melanocytes that were similar to that observed in other species in response to toxic insults [33] .…”

Effect of cadmium chloride on general body colouration and chromatophores of stinging cat fish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

“…The pigment can be either dispersed throughout the cell, which gives a dark appearance, or it can be aggregated around the nucleus, which gives a pale appearance (Bagnara and Hadley, 1973;Fujii, 2000 andAspengren et al, 2008). Chromatophore cells, a special class of pigment cells in cold blooded animals, have shown great potential in their use as a cell-based biosensor in the detection of a broad range of environmental toxicants (McFadden, 2002;Dierksen et al, 2004;Mojovic et al, 2004;Hutchison et al, 2008;Dukovcic, 2009;Dukovcic et al, 2010a;Dukovcic et al, 2010b andRoach, 2012). Chromatophore cells possess the motile pigment granules that intracellularly aggregate or disperse in response to external stimuli.…”

Potential of the Melanophore Pigment Response for Detection of Bacterial Toxicity

“…Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (chinook salmon) melanophores, a chromatophore cell type containing brown pigment, rapidly detect the salmonid pathogens Aeromonas salmonicida, Yersinia ruckeri, and Flavobacterium psychrophilum and the human pathogen Bacillus cereus.Chromatophores are a class of pigment cells present in amphibians, cephalopods, and fish that have been used as biodetectors to report toxicity (1,2,7,8,9,14). Upon exposure to explicit toxic stimuli, chromatophores redistribute their intracellular pigment organelles in one of two directions.…”

“…We previously described the Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (chinook salmon) melanophore response and have shown that pigment dynamics of melanophores and Betta splendens (Siamese fighting fish) erythrophores are conserved in their responses to the environmental toxicants mercury and arsenic (2). Melanophores and erythrophores each belong to the chromatophore class and differ by containing brown and red pigment organelles, respectively.…”

“…Melanophores were extracted from the dorsal and tail fins of young salmon at 6 to 20 cm in length, used in melanophore response assays, and analyzed as previously described (2). Each melanophore assay was conducted in triplicate, and an end-point two-sample Student's t test was performed.…”