Naslov
Cave dwelling Physella sp. as a model system for studying the loss of pigmentation

Autori
Grgić, Magdalena ; Weck, G. Robert ; Keresteš, Gaj ; Bilandžija, Helena

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology : Book of Abstracts / - , 2022, 461-462

Skup
Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB 2022)

Mjesto i datum
Prag, Češka Republika, 14.08.2022. - 19.08.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Physella ; loss of pigmentation ; adaptation

Sažetak
Not much is known about the mechanisms by which species adapt to the peculiar conditions inside of caves. One way of elucidating their adaptative evolution is through comparative studies, which require finding good model systems that consist of both ancestral and derived forms. The freshwater gastropod Physella sp. from Folgelpole Cave, Illinois, USA appears in different phenotypes, ranging from fully pigmented to albino morphs. Hence, it could be a suitable system for studying molecular mechanisms behind the loss of pigmentation, one of the most common traits in cave animals. Using a melanogenic substrate assay we identified that the first step of the melanin synthesis pathway is disrupted in the albino cave morph. To understand the evolutionary underpinnings of the loss of pigmentation, potential pleiotropic effects of melanin production cessation were experimentally examined. We showed that albino snails had significantly higher resistance to anesthesia (AR), controlled by the noradrenergic system, compared to fully pigmented morphs. These results are consistent with the study on Astyanax mexicanus, where albino cavefish have higher AR due to shifting a common precursor, L-tyrosine, from melanin to the catecholamine biosynthesis pathway. Anesthesia resistance can be considered a measure of consciousness and alertness, beneficial traits in cave environment, where food and mates are scarce and visual sensation useless. Although the exact molecular cause of albinism in Physella has yet to be elucidated, higher AR suggests that the loss of melanin pigmentation could be beneficial for cave invertebrates in the same manner as for vertebrates.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

POVEZANOST RADA