Using mass spectrometry to investigate fluorescent compounds in squirrel fur

Hughes, Bryan; Bowman, Jeff; Stock, Naomi L.; Burness, Gary

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0257156

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Kohler et al 10 found that almost all examined individuals of flying squirrels Glaucomys spp. had pink UV reflectance, mostly pronounced ventrally, further assessed by Hughes et al 13 . Anecdotal observations of the rodents Melomys, Niviventer, and Rattus showed that some guard hairs reflected bright blue 8 , 9 , 14 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Fluorescence and UV–visible reflectance in the fur of several Rodentia genera

Sobral¹,

Souza-Gudinho²

2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mammals are generally brown in colour, but recent publications are showing that they may not be as uniform as once assumed. Monotremes, marsupials, and a handful of eutherians reflect various colours when lit with UV light, mostly purple. Because of these still scarce records, we aimed to explore UV reflectance among rodent genera, the most diverse mammalian group, and the group of eutherians with the most common records of biofluorescence. Here we report structures like nails and quills reflected green, but for most genera, it was faded. However, Hystrix, Erethizon, and Ctenomys showed intense and contrasting green glow, while Chaetomys presented a vivid orange anogenital. The main available explanation of fluorescence in mammals relies on porphyrin. This explanation applies to the cases like Chaetomys, where specimens showed anogenital orange biofluorescence, but does not apply to the green biofluorescence we observed. In our sample, because the structures that reflected green were all keratinized, we have reasons to believe that biofluorescence results from keratinization and is a structurally-based colouration. However, not all spines/quills equally biofluoresced, so we cannot rule out other explanations. Since Rodentia is the most common mammalian group with reports on biofluorescence, this trait likely serves various functions that match the species diversity of this group.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Fluorescence and UV–visible reflectance in the fur of several Rodentia genera

Sobral¹,

Souza-Gudinho²

2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In mammals, based on the fact that UV-PL is predominantly observed in crepuscular or nocturnal animals, it was recently hypothesized that it could serve ecological functions in light-deprived environments such as intraspeci c communication or camou age (Kohler et al 2019;Olson et al 2021;Anich et al 2021). These hypotheses have not been tested experimentally and have since been challenged (Hamchand et al 2021;Hughes et al 2021). Moreover, because the species concerned live in a wide range of ecosystems and differ widely in life histories, from the semi-aquatic platypus to the terrestrial springhares and the arboreal ying squirrels, it remains unclear whether UV-PL has indeed a speci c ecological signi cance in nocturnal animals, or is simply incidental to other physiological processes (Lagorio, Cordon & Iriel 2015;Marshall & Johnsen 2017;Hamchand et al 2021;Hughes et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These hypotheses have not been tested experimentally and have since been challenged (Hamchand et al 2021;Hughes et al 2021). Moreover, because the species concerned live in a wide range of ecosystems and differ widely in life histories, from the semi-aquatic platypus to the terrestrial springhares and the arboreal ying squirrels, it remains unclear whether UV-PL has indeed a speci c ecological signi cance in nocturnal animals, or is simply incidental to other physiological processes (Lagorio, Cordon & Iriel 2015;Marshall & Johnsen 2017;Hamchand et al 2021;Hughes et al 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2021; Hughes et al . 2022). Moreover, because the species concerned live in a wide range of ecosystems and differ widely in life histories, from the semi‐aquatic platypus to the terrestrial springhares and the arboreal flying squirrels, it remains unclear whether UV‐PL has indeed a specific ecological significance in nocturnal animals, or is simply incidental to other physiological processes (Lagorio et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Fur glowing under ultraviolet: in situ analysis of porphyrin accumulation in the skin appendages of mammals

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Examples of photoluminescence (PL) are being reported with increasing frequency in a wide range of organisms from diverse ecosystems. However, the chemical basis of this PL remains poorly de ned, and our understanding of its potential ecological function is still super cial. Amongst mammals, recent analyses have identi ed free-base porphyrins as the compounds responsible for the reddish ultravioletinduced photoluminescence (UV-PL) observed in the pelage of springhares and hedgehogs. However, the localization of the pigments within the hair largely remains to be determined. Here we use photoluminescence multispectral imaging emission and excitation spectroscopy to detect, map and characterize porphyrinic compounds in skin appendages in situ. We also document new cases of mammalian UV-PL caused by free-base porphyrins in distantly related species. Spatial distribution of the UV-PL is strongly suggestive of an endogenous origin of the porphyrinic compounds. We argue that reddish UV-PL is predominantly observed in crepuscular and nocturnal mammals because porphyrins are photodegradable. Consequently, this phenomenon may not have a speci c function in intra-or interspeci c communication but rather represents a byproduct of potentially widespread physiological processes.

show abstract

“…Live animals in the wild photoluminesced comparably to museum specimens, although they were not compared using the same photographic qualitative scale (Kohler et al 2019). Diurnal nonflying squirrels did not photoluminescence; however, a subsequent study elicited some photoluminescence from both gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) fur extracts when excited at 350 nm (Hughes et al 2022). Twenty unidentified potential luminophores were also found to be present in the fur of non-photoluminescent squirrels (hinting that non-photoluminescent animals carry the potential luminophores, but they are only activated in photoluminescent animals) and were inconsistently present in the fur of all photoluminescent flying squirrels (Hughes et al 2022).…”

Section: Photoluminescence In Fur: An Historical Accountmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoluminescence in mammal fur: 111 years of research

Reinhold

Rymer

Helgen

et al. 2023

Journal of Mammalogy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Photoluminescence in the pelage of mammals, a topic that has gained considerable recent research interest, was first documented in the 1700s and reported sporadically in the literature over the last century. The first detailed species accounts were of rabbits and humans, published 111 years ago in 1911. Recent studies have largely overlooked this earlier research into photoluminescent mammalian taxa and their luminophores. Here we provide a comprehensive update on existing research on photoluminescence in mammal fur, with the intention of drawing attention to earlier pioneering research in this field. We provide an overview on appropriate terminology, explain the physics of photoluminescence, and explore pigmentation and the ubiquitous photoluminescence of animal tissues, before touching on the emerging debate regarding visual function. We then provide a chronological account of research into mammalian fur photoluminescence, from the earliest discoveries and identification of luminophores to the most recent studies. While all mammal fur is likely to have a general low-level photoluminescence due to the presence of the protein keratin, fur glows luminously under ultraviolet light if it contains significant concentrations of tryptophan metabolites or porphyrins. Finally, we briefly discuss issues associated with preserved museum specimens in studies of photoluminescence. The study of mammal fur photoluminescence has a substantial history, which provides a broad foundation on which future studies can be grounded.

show abstract

Using mass spectrometry to investigate fluorescent compounds in squirrel fur

Cited by 5 publications

References 49 publications

Fluorescence and UV–visible reflectance in the fur of several Rodentia genera

Fluorescence and UV–visible reflectance in the fur of several Rodentia genera

Fur glowing under ultraviolet: in situ analysis of porphyrin accumulation in the skin appendages of mammals

Photoluminescence in mammal fur: 111 years of research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About