The periodic coloration in birds forms through a prepattern of somite origin.
Science
; 361(6408)2018 Sep 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30237324
ABSTRACT
The periodic stripes and spots that often adorn animals' coats have been largely viewed as self-organizing patterns, forming through dynamics such as Turing's reaction-diffusion within the developing skin. Whether preexisting positional information also contributes to the periodicity and orientation of these patterns has, however, remained unclear. We used natural variation in colored stripes of juvenile galliform birds to show that stripes form in a two-step process. Autonomous signaling from the somite sets stripe position by forming a composite prepattern marked by the expression profile of agouti Subsequently, agouti regulates stripe width through dose-dependent control of local pigment production. These results reveal that early developmental landmarks can shape periodic patterns upstream of late local dynamics, and thus constrain their evolution.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Skin Pigmentation
/
Somites
/
Galliformes
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Science
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Francia