How the zebrafish gets its stripes
Open accessAbstract
The study of vertebrate pigment patterns is a classic and enduring field of developmental biology. Knowledge of pigment pattern development comes from a variety of systems, including avians, mouse, and more recently, the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Recent analyses of the mechanisms underlying the development of the neural crest-derived pigment cell type common to all vertebrates, the melanocyte, have revealed remarkable similarities and several surprising differences between amniotes and zebrafish. Here, we summarize recent advances in the study of melanocyte development in zebrafish, with reference to human, mouse, and avian systems. We first review melanocyte development in zebrafish and mammals, followed by a summary of the molecules known to be required for their development. We then discuss several relatively unaddressed issues in vertebrate pigment pattern development that are being investigated in zebrafish. These include determining the relationships between genetically distinct classes of melanocytes, characterizing and dissecting melanocyte stem cell development, and understanding how pigment cells organize into a patterned tissue. Further analysis of zebrafish pigment pattern mutants as well as new generations of directed mutant screens promise to extend our understanding of pigment pattern morphogenesis.
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The characteristic adult pigmentation pattern of the zebrafish consists of three distinct classes of pigment cells arranged in stripes: black melanophores, reflective iridophores, and yellow xanthophores.
“The characteristic adult pigmentation pattern of the zebrafish consists of three distinct classes of pigment cells arranged in stripes (Figure 1A): black melanophores, reflective iridophores, and yellow xanthophores”
From Transparent Adult Zebrafish as a Tool for In Vivo Transplantation Analysis (2008) · cites this paper as Rawls et al., 2001
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Transparent Adult Zebrafish as a Tool for In Vivo Transplantation Analysis
White, R. M., Sessa, A., Burke, C., Bowman, T., LeBlanc, J., Ceol, C., Bourque, C., Dovey, M., Goessling, W., Burns, C. E., et al. (2008) · Cell Stem Cell · doi:10.1016/j.stem.2007.11.002 · Cited by 1,408 · see citing works
A defect in the mitochondrial protein Mpv17 underlies the transparent casper zebrafish
D’Agati, G., Beltre, R., Sessa, A., Burger, A., Zhou, Y., Mosimann, C., & White, R. M. (2017) · Developmental Biology · doi:10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.07.017 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
- Authors
- Rawls, J. F., Mellgren, E. M., & Johnson, S. L.
- Affiliations
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Johnson, Stephen L.
- Venue
- Developmental Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2001-12
- Volume
- 240
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 301-314
- ISSN
- 0012-1606 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2077892522
- Cited by
- 165
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 2.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Developmental Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM056988)
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Keywords
- zebrafish, melanocyte development, pigment pattern formation, neural crest, melanocyte stem cells, melanocyte differentiation, morphogenesis, comparative development, mammals, avian development
- MeSH terms
- Animals, DNA-Binding Proteins, High Mobility Group Proteins, Humans, Melanocytes, Models, Biological, Mutation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins, Skin Pigmentation, Stem Cells, Transcription Factors, Zebrafish, Signal Transduction, Receptor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Receptors, Endothelin, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit, Stem Cell Factor, Body Patterning, Zebrafish Proteins, Wnt Proteins, Mice, Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor, SOXE Transcription Factors
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