Endothelin receptor Aa regulates proliferation and differentiation of Erb-dependent pigment progenitors in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Skin pigment patterns are important, being under strong selection for multiple roles including camouflage and UV protection. Pigment cells underlying these patterns form from adult pigment stem cells (APSCs). In zebrafish, APSCs derive from embryonic neural crest cells, but sit dormant until activated to produce pigment cells during metamorphosis. The APSCs are set-aside in an ErbB signaling dependent manner, but the mechanism maintaining quiescence until metamorphosis remains unknown. Mutants for a pigment pattern gene, parade, exhibit ectopic pigment cells localised to the ventral trunk, but also supernumerary cells restricted to the Ventral Stripe. Contrary to expectations, these melanocytes and iridophores are discrete cells, but closely apposed. We show that parade encodes Endothelin

SUBMITTER: Camargo-Sosa K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6392274 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature