爬行动物物种,尤其是蛇和蜥蜴,是新兴的动物着色模型。这里,基于对野生型和花斑蟒蛇的研究,我重点研究了TFEC转录因子在蛇和蜥蜴着色中的作用。基因组作图先前鉴定了与花斑球蟒蛇表型相关的TFEC突变。在棕色anole蜥蜴中进行的基因编辑实验进一步支持了TFEC与皮肤着色的关联。然而,这里提出的新的组织学分析揭示了球蟒蛇和anoleTFEC突变体表型之间的差异,告诫不要笼统地概括。的确,无论野生型还是花斑蟒蛇都完全缺乏虹彩,而与野生型anole相比,TFECanole蜥蜴突变体失去了虹膜。基于这些发现,我讨论了MiT/TFE家族在脊椎动物谱系皮肤色素沉着中的潜在作用,并主张需要进行发育分析和其他基因编辑实验以探索爬行动物的着色多样性。
Reptilian species, particularly snakes and lizards, are emerging models of animal coloration. Here, I focus on the role of the
TFEC transcription factor in snake and lizard coloration based on a study on wild-type and piebald ball pythons. Genomic mapping previously identified a
TFEC mutation linked to the piebald ball python phenotype. The association of
TFEC with skin coloration was further supported by gene-editing experiments in the brown anole lizard. However, novel histological analyses presented here reveal discrepancies between the ball python and the anole
TFEC mutants phenotype, cautioning against broad generalizations. Indeed, both wild-type and piebald ball pythons completely lack iridophores, whereas the
TFEC anole lizard mutants lose their iridophores compared to the wild-type anole. Based on these findings, I discuss the potential role of the MiT/TFE family in skin pigmentation across vertebrate lineages and advocate the need for developmental analyses and additional gene-editing experiments to explore the reptilian coloration diversity.