The Relation Between the Chromatophores and Pterin Compounds

This is a biographical sketch of my research and its related personal episodes with respect to brightly colored pigmentation in lower vertebrates. It includes a brief story of the studies on; (a) pterinosomes as a specific site of pteridine deposition in xanthophores or erythrophores of fish and amphibians, (b) a mosaic phenotype of chromatophores occurring in the reptiles and its implication for their developmental origin and differentiation mechanisms, (c) erythrophoroma as a tumor of erythrophores in goldfish, (d) the pluripotentials of erythrophoroma cells for expression of neural crest-derived characters in vitro, (e) pigment disorders occurring in hatchery-raised flounders and (f) recognition of pigment cell types by murine tyrosinase genes transfected into an orange-colored variant of medaka fish. Some of the personal affairs associated with the history of the Japanese community for pigment cell research were described to illustrate the background of these studies.

Section: Being Interested In Neurochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Brightly Colored Pigmentation in Lower Vertebrates: Wonder Searching its Mechanisms and Significance in the Context of Phylogeny

Matsumoto

2002

“…The association of pteridines with xanthophores and erythrophores in lower vertebrates is well established (Bagnara, 1961;Hama, 1963;Matsumoto, 1965;Obika, 1963;Obika and Bagnara, 1964;Ziegler, 1965), while purines have been recognized as the main component of the lightreflecting crystals of iridophores and leucophores (Bagnara and Neidleman, 1958;Bagnara and Stackhouse, 1961;Hitchings and Falco, 1944;Sumner, 1944). It is generally accepted that the yellow and red pteridines act as simple color filters similar to the carotenoids, which are often present as well.…”

Section: Evidence Forthe Presence Of Pteridines In the Iridophores Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pteridines as Reflecting Pigments and Components of Reflecting Organelles in Vertebrates

Oliphant

Hudon

1993

This paper reviews evidence for the presence of pteridines in iridophores, leucophores, and xanthophores in a wide variety of vertebrate chromatophores, and argues that the chemical and functional distinction between pterinosomes and reflecting platelets is not as clear-cut as previously believed. Observations indicate that: (1) Pteridines may, either alone or in conjunction with purines, form pigment granules that reflect light, (2) these pigment granules are highly variable ranging from fibrous pterinosomes to typical reflecting platelets and may be colored, reflect white light, or be iridescent, and (3) many "leucophores" probably contain typical pterinosomes and presumed associated colorless pteridines and are therefore more closely related to erythrophores and xanthophores than to iridophores with which they are usually classified. We propose that the classification of pigment cells should be modified to reflect these facts.

“…Cases of melanophores containing pteridines are found in the literature. Hama (1963) found pteridines in the skin of adult specimens of E t u r u s pyrrhgmter, which pos-sesses numerous melanophores but no larval xanthophores; Matsumoto and Obika (1968) detected some pteridines, especially IXP, associated with melanin in the melanophores of Curussius uuratus; Heme et al (1977) found IXP, BP, and SP in the spots of the dorsal fins of xiphophorine fish, which are characterized by the presence of macro-melanophores. Moreover, in vitro experiments by Obika (1976) demonstrated the reversible binding of riboflavin and pteridines to melanin.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pigmentary System of the Adult Alpine Salamander Salamandra atra aurorae (Trevisan, 1982)

Pederzoli

Trevisan

1990

The pigmentary system of skin from adult specimens of the amphibian urodele Salamandra atra aurorae was investigated by light microscope, electron microscope, and biochemical studies. Yellow (dorsum and head) and black (flank and belly) skin was tested. Three chromatophore types are present in yellow skin: xanthophores, iridophores, and melanophores. Xanthophores are located in the epidermis whereas iridophores and melanophores are found in the dermis. Xanthophores contain types I, II, and III pterinosomes. Some pterinosomes are very electron-dense. Black skin has a single type of chromatophore: the melanophores. Some melanophores are located in the epidermis. In contrast to the dermal melanophores, these present, in addition to typical melanosomes, organelles with different morphology and vesicles having a limiting membrane and containing little amorphous material. Both skin types present some pteridines and flavins, though they are qualitatively and quantitatively more abundant in yellow skin extracts.