Genetic architecture underlying changes in carotenoid accumulation during the evolution of the blind Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus.

ABSTRACT: Carotenoids are lipid-soluble yellow to orange pigments produced by plants, bacteria, and fungi. They are consumed by animals and metabolized to produce molecules essential for gene regulation, vision, and pigmentation. Cave animals represent an interesting opportunity to understand how carotenoid utilization evolves. Caves are devoid of light, eliminating primary production of energy through photosynthesis and, therefore, limiting carotenoid availability. Moreover, the selective pressures that favor carotenoid-based traits, like pigmentation and vision, are relaxed. Astyanax mexicanus is a species of fish with multiple river-adapted (surface) and cave-adapted populations (i.e., Tinaja, Pachón, Molino). Cavefish exhibit regressive features, such as loss of eyes and melanin pigment, and con

SUBMITTER: Riddle MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7708440 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature