TY - JOUR
T1 - A molecular mechanism for bright color variation in parrots
AU - Arbore, Roberto
AU - Barbosa, Soraia
AU - Brejcha, Jindřich
AU - Ogawa, Yohey
AU - Liu, Yu
AU - Nicolaï, Michaël P.J.
AU - Pereira, Paulo
AU - Sabatino, Stephen J.
AU - Cloutier, Alison
AU - Poon, Emily Shui Kei
AU - Marques, Cristiana I.
AU - Andrade, Pedro
AU - Debruyn, Gerben
AU - Afonso, Sandra
AU - Afonso, Rita
AU - Roy, Shatadru Ghosh
AU - Abdu, Uri
AU - Lopes, Ricardo J.
AU - Mojzeš, Peter
AU - Maršík, Petr
AU - Sin, Simon Yung Wa
AU - White, Michael A
AU - Araújo, Pedro M.
AU - Corbo, Joseph C.
AU - Carneiro, Miguel
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.
PY - 2024/11/1
Y1 - 2024/11/1
N2 - Parrots produce stunning plumage colors through unique pigments called psittacofulvins. However, the mechanism underlying their ability to generate a spectrum of vibrant yellows, reds, and greens remains enigmatic. We uncover a unifying chemical basis for a wide range of parrot plumage colors, which result from the selective deposition of red aldehyde- and yellow carboxyl-containing psittacofulvin molecules in developing feathers. Through genetic mapping, biochemical assays, and single-cell genomics, we identified a critical player in this process, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3A2, which oxidizes aldehyde psittacofulvins into carboxyl forms in late-differentiating keratinocytes during feather development. The simplicity of the underlying molecular mechanism, in which a single enzyme influences the balance of red and yellow pigments, offers an explanation for the exceptional evolutionary lability of parrot coloration.
AB - Parrots produce stunning plumage colors through unique pigments called psittacofulvins. However, the mechanism underlying their ability to generate a spectrum of vibrant yellows, reds, and greens remains enigmatic. We uncover a unifying chemical basis for a wide range of parrot plumage colors, which result from the selective deposition of red aldehyde- and yellow carboxyl-containing psittacofulvin molecules in developing feathers. Through genetic mapping, biochemical assays, and single-cell genomics, we identified a critical player in this process, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3A2, which oxidizes aldehyde psittacofulvins into carboxyl forms in late-differentiating keratinocytes during feather development. The simplicity of the underlying molecular mechanism, in which a single enzyme influences the balance of red and yellow pigments, offers an explanation for the exceptional evolutionary lability of parrot coloration.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85208290885&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1126/science.adp7710
DO - 10.1126/science.adp7710
M3 - Article
C2 - 39480920
AN - SCOPUS:85208290885
SN - 2096-5672
VL - 386
JO - Journal of Bio-X Research
JF - Journal of Bio-X Research
IS - 6721
M1 - eadp7710
ER -