Fig. 3

Fig. 3 Hypermotility of melanophores perturbs stripe boundaries and disrupts the horizontal pattern. Sequential images show the process of skin pattern formation. Fish were reared under BL from the larval stage (1 wpf). (A–D) In wild-type fish, stripe boundaries became increasingly distinct across development; the initial horizontal stripe pattern was firmly maintained. (E–H) In mitfa;ChR2(C128S/D156A) stable transgenic fish, the initial horizontal pattern formed at 5 wpf, as in wild type, but stripe boundaries remained ambiguous even at later stages, and the stripes themselves were disrupted. Scale bar, 500 µm.