Dynamic pigmentary and structural coloration within cephalopod chromatophore organs
Name
s41467-019-08891-x.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
4.2 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
0cdcf220aef97d7cedbb84bba1e1ee7f
Author(s)
Yeo, Jingjie
Martín-Martínez, Francisco J.
Kuzirian, Alan M.
Chen, Chun-Teh
Buehler, Markus J.
Date Issued
March 1, 2019
Journal
Nature communicatins
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Citation
Williams, Thomas L. et al. "Dynamic pigmentary and structural coloration within cephalopod chromatophore organs." Nature communicatins 10 (2019): 1038 © 2019 The Author(s)
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Chromatophore organs in cephalopod skin are known to produce ultra-fast changes in appearance for camouflage and communication. Light-scattering pigment granules within chromatocytes have been presumed to be the sole source of coloration in these complex organs. We report the discovery of structural coloration emanating in precise register with expanded pigmented chromatocytes. Concurrently, using an annotated squid chromatophore proteome together with microscopy, we identify a likely biochemical component of this reflective coloration as reflectin proteins distributed in sheath cells that envelop each chromatocyte. Additionally, within the chromatocytes, where the pigment resides in nanostructured granules, we find the lens protein Ω- crystallin interfacing tightly with pigment molecules. These findings offer fresh perspectives on the intricate biophotonic interplay between pigmentary and structural coloration elements tightly co-located within the same dynamic flexible organ - a feature that may help inspire the development of new classes of engineered materials that change color and pattern.
Subjects
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy
General Chemistry
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08891-x
