Evolutionary Origin of Skin Colors Revealed by Genetic Mutation in Snakes

 

    They found a genetic mutation in a corn snakes that gives a lavender pigment in their scales. The skin color of vertebrates depends on chromatophores. This specific type of color variation is a dull color of the lavender variation. This is caused by a mutation in a gene involved in forming lysosomes. This single mutation can affect all skin color, which shows that the reflective crystals and pigments are stored in the lysosome. The chromatophores are what determine the skin color due to the pigment and reflected crystals that reflects lights. In which their are three types of  chromatophores which are melanophores, xanthophores, and iridophores. The melanophores are responsible for the black and brown colors, xanthophores are responsible for red and yellow color, and iridophores are the crystals that reflect multiple colors. The lavender mutation contains a pink coloration with grey spots and this mutation is due to a single gene in the LYST gene. This gene regulates the trafficking of lysosomes. Scientists studied the snakes main their hepatocytes which are contained in the main liver. Hepatocytes are the main cells of the livers which are in charge of metabolic, endocrine and secretion functions. The scientists found that the hepatocytes in lavender snakes are contained more aggressive lysosomes which will give the lavender skin color.  I was really in to this article because there's been a lot of studies done on snakes on their scale colors. Snakes have a lot of different alleles that control their scale colors. To know that another color was created due to a mutation I think its pretty cool.

Links: https://scitechdaily.com/evolutionary-origin-of-skin-colors-revealed-by-genetic-mutation-in-snaks/

https://www.pnas.org/content/117/42/26307

So, Where do Eye Colors Really Come From?

The colored part of the eye is called the iris, and the dark center is known as the pupil. So, what makes the iris appear as a certain color? Maybe brown, hazel, green or blue? Eye color is pieced together by different portions of certain pigment and the tissue that makes up part of the iris. The pigment expressing cells of the iris are known as melanocytes. They can create two different pigments: eumelanin (brown-black) or pheomelanin (red). You can see here that there is no pigment for blue eyes. Blue eyes are formed due to white collage fibers in the iris tissues. Dark eyes are formed from a large amount of pigment, while the blues and greens form from low amounts of pigment.
An article published on Medical News Today, explained that an eye color is made up of many more than just one gene. In fact, the eye color is made up of about eleven genes! Although we know that eye color is inherited from the parents, eleven genes are involved for this one single traits formation. Researchers at Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam did a study on genetic variants in the eleven genes of over 3,000 people. "When they compared these genetic profiles with a new method of assessing eye color in photographs - which was developed as part of the study - the team could reliably predict eye color in most cases."
There is still ongoing research to determine all genes incorporated in the creation of eye color and pattern, but the information obtained as of now is still fascinating. I really enjoyed reading this article. This is such a neat study because most people believe that eye color is passed on from parent to child through a simple gene. It is interesting to learn that there are actually 11 genes involved in this process! This is also very interesting to me because it is possible for two parents with brown eyes can have a child with blue eyes. It all leads back to science.

There is A New Mum In Town

The color blue is found all over the earth from the sky to what we see on the ocean, though one place a true blue color is not found in abundance is in mums, being the flower. From a scientific breakthrough mums are finally able to truly grow blue as can be by the correct manipulation of their genes. Scientist Naonobu Noda who works at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization located in Tsukuba, Japan along with other colleagues has been credited this accomplishment. By taking a gene from the Canterbury bells and adding a gene from butterfly peas the manipulation in mums allowed an important enzyme to create the compound needed for a blue color. The compounds for natural blue colors in flowers that have now been activated in mums, which were not present before are known as delphinidin-based anthocyanin pigments. In the experiment a total of 19 out of the 32 mums treated bloomed into a blue color rather than their normal pinkish colors. These results made the experiment quite a success and will allow gardeners and flower lovers to lavish in blue mums in a true blue natural setting.