Cooption of the pteridine biosynthesis pathway underlies the diversification of embryonic colors in water striders.

ABSTRACT: Naturalists have been fascinated for centuries by animal colors and color patterns. While widely studied at the adult stage, we know little about color patterns in the embryo. Here, we study a trait consisting of coloration that is specific to the embryo and absent from postembryonic stages in water striders (Gerromorpha). By combining developmental genetics with chemical and phylogenetic analyses across a broad sample of species, we uncovered the mechanisms underlying the emergence and diversification of embryonic colors in this group of insects. We show that the pteridine biosynthesis pathway, which ancestrally produces red pigment in the eyes, has been recruited during embryogenesis in various extraocular tissues including antennae and legs. In addition, we discovered that this cooption

SUBMITTER: Vargas-Lowman A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6754612 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature