PUBLICATION
Cold exposure down-regulates zebrafish pigmentation
- Authors
- Kulkeaw, K., Ishitani, T., Kanemaru, T., Ivanovski, O., Nakagawa, M., Mizuochi, C., Horio, Y., and Sugiyama, D.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-110325-10
- Date
- 2011
- Source
- Genes to cells : devoted to molecular & cellular mechanisms 16(4): 358-367 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Ishitani, Tohru
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Cold Temperature
- Down-Regulation
- HSC70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism
- Intramolecular Oxidoreductases/metabolism
- Melanophores/metabolism*
- Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism
- Skin Pigmentation/genetics
- Skin Pigmentation/physiology*
- Zebrafish/growth & development
- Zebrafish/metabolism*
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
- PubMed
- 21392186 Full text @ Genes Cells
Citation
Kulkeaw, K., Ishitani, T., Kanemaru, T., Ivanovski, O., Nakagawa, M., Mizuochi, C., Horio, Y., and Sugiyama, D. (2011) Cold exposure down-regulates zebrafish pigmentation. Genes to cells : devoted to molecular & cellular mechanisms. 16(4):358-367.
Abstract
Vertebrates use adaptive mechanisms when exposed to physiologic stresses. However, the mechanisms of pigmentation regulation in response to physiologic stresses largely remain unclear. To address this issue, we developed a novel pigmentation model in adult zebrafish using coldwater exposure (cold zebrafish). When zebrafish were maintained at 17°C, the pigmentation of their pigment stripes was reduced compared with zebrafish at 26.5°C (normal zebrafish). In cold zebrafish, gene expression levels of tyrosinase and dopachrome tautomerase, which encode enzymes involved in melanogenesis, were down-regulated, suggesting that either down-regulation of melanin synthesis occurred or the number of melanophores decreased. Both regular and electron microscopic observation of zebrafish skin showed that the number of melanophores decreased, whereas aggregation of melanosomes was not changed in cold zebrafish compared with normal zebrafish. Taken together, we here show that cold exposure down-regulated adult zebrafish pigmentation through decreasing the number of melanophores and propose that the cold zebrafish model is a powerful tool for pigmentation research.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping