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Analysis of the Skin and Brain Transcriptome of Normally Pigmented and Pseudo-Albino Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) Juveniles to Study the Molecular Mechanisms of Hypopigmentation and Its Implications for Species Survival in the Natural Environment

Authors :
Ivonne R. Blandon
Elizabeth DiBona
Anna Battenhouse
Sean Vargas
Christopher Mace
Frauke Seemann
Source :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 25, Iss 14, p 7775 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Southern flounder skin pigmentation is a critical phenotypic characteristic for this species’ survival in the natural environment. Normal pigmentation allows rapid changes of color for concealment to capture prey and UV light protection. In contrast, highly visible hypopigmented pseudo-albinos exhibit a compromised immune system and are vulnerable to predation, sensitive to UV exposure, and likely have poor survival in the wild. Skin and brain tissue samples from normally pigmented and hypopigmented individuals were analyzed with next-generation RNA sequencing. A total of 1,589,613 transcripts were used to identify 952,825 genes to assemble a de novo transcriptome, with 99.43% of genes mapped to the assembly. Differential gene expression and gene enrichment analysis of contrasting tissues and phenotypes revealed that pseudo-albino individuals appeared more susceptible to environmental stress, UV light exposure, hypoxia, and osmotic stress. The pseudo-albinos’ restricted immune response showed upregulated genes linked to cancer development, signaling and response, skin tissue formation, regeneration, and healing. The data indicate that a modified skin collagen structure likely affects melanocyte differentiation and distribution, generating the pseudo-albino phenotype. In addition, the comparison of the brain transcriptome revealed changes in myelination and melanocyte stem cell activity, which may indicate modified brain function, reduced melanocyte migration, and impaired vision.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14220067 and 16616596
Volume :
25
Issue :
14
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5b89e69931cd4a0eb6f474c98c92866b
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25147775