Instructive role of melanocytes during pigment pattern formation of the avian skin.

ABSTRACT: Animal skin pigment patterns are excellent models to study the mechanism of biological self-organization. Theoretical approaches developed mathematical models of pigment patterning and molecular genetics have brought progress; however, the responsible cellular mechanism is not fully understood. One long unsolved controversy is whether the patterning information is autonomously determined by melanocytes or nonautonomously determined from the environment. Here, we transplanted purified melanocytes and demonstrated that melanocytes could form periodic pigment patterns cell autonomously. Results of heterospecific transplantation among quail strains are consistent with this finding. Further, we observe that developing melanocytes directly connect with each other via filopodia to form a network

SUBMITTER: Inaba M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6452743 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature