Eumelanin and pheomelanin pigmentation in mollusc shells may be less common than expected: insights from mass spectrometry.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The geometric patterns that adorn the shells of many phylogenetically disparate molluscan species are comprised of pigments that span the visible spectrum. Although early chemical studies implicated melanin as a commonly employed pigment, surprisingly little evidence generated with more recent and sensitive techniques exists to support these observations.

Results

Here we present the first mass spectrometric investigations for the presence of eumelanin and pheomelanin in 13 different molluscan species from three conchiferan classes: Bivalvia, Cephalopoda and Gastropoda. In the bivalve Mytilus edulis we demonstrate that eumelanin mainly occurs in the outermost, non-mineralised and highly pigmented layer of the shell (often referred to as the periostracum). We

SUBMITTER: Affenzeller S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6929474 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature