Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lihua Jiang, Tetsuo Kon, Chunyan Chen, Ryota Ichikawa, Qiyuan Zheng, Liyi Pei, Ikuyo Takemura, Lauden Hagai Nsobi, Hiromasa Tabata, Hao Pan, Yoshihiro Omori, Atsushi Ogura
Summary: Zhoushan cattle, an endangered breed from Zhoushan islands in China, show unique characteristics and are genetically similar to Bos indicus cattle in southeastern China. The dark black coat color of Zhoushan cattle may be associated with a specific mutation in the MC1R gene, as revealed by shared genomic regions with Angus cattle. Our study provides valuable insights into the uniqueness of Zhoushan cattle.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Ismael Galvan
Summary: Melanin pigments play adaptive roles in birds, and black feathers in male pied flycatchers are sexually selected by females. Raman spectroscopy analysis reveals that the monomeric composition of melanin is associated with feather color, potentially serving as the basis for honest signalling in these birds.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yong Chool Boo
Summary: Melanin pigment plays a key role in determining skin color, with sulfur-containing compounds influencing the relative synthesis of eumelanin and pheomelanin. Thiol compounds can inhibit overall melanin synthesis by binding to the active site of tyrosinase and acting as antioxidants against reactive oxygen species.
Review
Ecology
Sarah Britton, Goggy Davidowitz
Summary: Melanin, the most common pigment type in animals, has various adaptive roles. However, the effects of diet on melanin pigmentation are not well understood. This systematic literature review highlights common patterns and mechanisms by which diet influences melanin in animals. It discusses the influence of dietary components on melanin, the effects of diet on melanin-based traits, and the factors that mediate the relationship between diet and melanin. The study finds that diet has complex effects on melanin, influencing traits such as size, darkness, and color. Factors such as trait type, life stage, and environmental stress also play a role in mediating the influence of diet on melanin. The study concludes by identifying important areas for future research on the mechanisms connecting diet and melanin, the effects of diet on internal melanin, the costs of melanin pigmentation, and the evolution of melanin-based traits.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Danuta Krasowska, Agata Malek, Joanna Kurzepa, Lucyna Kapka-Skrzypczak, Dorota Krasowska, Jacek Kurzepa
Summary: This article examines the association between melanoma and Parkinson's disease, highlighting the potential impact of melanin synthesis and certain PD treatments on these diseases. The findings suggest that melanin accumulation may contribute to disease development, and certain drugs used for PD treatment may increase the risk of melanoma. However, further research is needed to fully understand the role of melanin in disease progression.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Margaux Bouzin, Mario Marini, Giuseppe Chirico, Francesca Granucci, Francesca Mingozzi, Roberto Colombo, Laura D'Alfonso, Laura Sironi, Maddalena Collini
Summary: This study proposes a non-destructive photo-thermal imaging method that can characterize the distribution and concentration of melanin pigments in excised melanoma biopsies. It provides a label-free super-resolution far-infrared thermal imaging of tissue sections, allowing for the quantitative analysis of melanin content. The proposed method could complement traditional histopathology in the characterization of pigmented lesions ex-vivo.
BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS
(2022)
Article
Dermatology
Joel Duperray Eng, Renaud Sergheraert, Kunyanatt Chalothorn, Preeyanuch Tachalerdmanee, Fabrice Perin
Summary: The study found that oral supplementation with L-Cystine associated with L-Glutathione can effectively lighten the skin and reduce the size of facial dark spots in Asian women after 12 weeks. This combination not only had better effects compared to placebo, but also compared to L-Cystine alone or L-Glutathione alone.
JOURNAL OF COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Shosuke Ito
Summary: Eumelanin and pheomelanin are pigments that determine the colors in animals and are produced in melanocytes in various tissues. The quantity and quality of melanin, including the ratio of eumelanin to pheomelanin, play a role in the diversity of animal colors. Methods for simultaneous measurement of eumelanin and pheomelanin have been developed to study the biochemical and genetic basis of pigmentation. The photoreactivity of melanin is also a major research focus due to its potential link to UVA-induced melanoma risk.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Ana Carolina de Oliveira Neves, Mohammed Zougagh, Angel Rios, Roma Tauler, Kazumasa Wakamatsu, Ismael Galvan
Summary: The study successfully quantified the constituent monomers of pheomelanin using Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics. The MCR-ALS method was effective in predicting the concentrations of BT and BZ, as well as extracting interference from keratin in feathers. This method provides a direct and non-destructive analytical approach for pheomelanin subunits at the monomeric level.
CHEMOMETRICS AND INTELLIGENT LABORATORY SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Sandra Del Bino, Shosuke Ito, Juliette Sok, Kazumasa Wakamatsu
Summary: Human skin contains two distinct components: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin consists of DHI and DHICA, while pheomelanin consists of BT and BZ. Specific degradation products can be used to quantitatively analyze these melanin monomer units. The ratio of DHI to DHICA is constant regardless of the degree of pigmentation, and the high content of DHICA may provide an antioxidant property to the epidermal melanin.
PIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Robin R. Jones, Cornelia Miksch, Hyunah Kwon, Coosje Pothoven, Kristina R. Rusimova, Maarten Kamp, Kedong Gong, Liwu Zhang, Tim Batten, Brian Smith, Alejandro V. Silhanek, Peer Fischer, Daniel Wolverson, Ventsislav K. Valev
Summary: Against the backdrop of current healthcare and climate emergencies, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is gaining popularity as a technique for identifying and fingerprinting molecules in various substances. Researchers have investigated plasmonic nanohelices and found that they possess excellent SERS properties. These nanohelices can be produced at a low cost, exhibit strong and uniform Raman enhancement effects, and are anticipated to have broad applications in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopies and material science.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Rekha Gautam, Danielle Mac Mahon, Grainne Eager, Hui Ma, Claudia Nunzia Guadagno, Stefan Andersson-Engels, Sanathana Konugolu Venkata Sekar
Summary: This study presents the design and validation of gelatin-based phantoms for simulating tissue optical properties, serving as a calibration and benchmarking tool for multimodal spectroscopy devices.
Article
Oncology
Jose Javier Ruiz, Monica Marro, Ismael Galvan, Jose Bernabeu-Wittel, Julian Conejo-Mir, Teresa Zulueta-Dorado, Ana Belen Guisado-Gil, Pablo Loza-Alvarez
Summary: Raman spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis has the potential to non-invasively diagnose skin tumors by characterizing their pigment composition. Differences in DHICA content allow for the accurate classification of dysplastic lesions in an objective, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana-Maria Pena, Etienne Decenciere, Sebastien Brizion, Peggy Sextius, Serge Koudoro, Therese Baldeweck, Emmanuelle Tancrede-Bohin
Summary: This study proposes an approach combining multiphoton FLIM and Pseudo-FLIM to quantify the 3D melanin distribution in vivo. By comparing the analyses of synthetic melanin, melanocytes/keratinocytes coculture, and in vivo human skin, new insights into melanin modulation are provided.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joshua Roldan-Kalil, Lidia Zueva, Janaina Alves, Vassiliy Tsytsarev, Priscila Sanabria, Mikhail Inyushin
Summary: Hair pigmentation, specifically melanin granules, plays a crucial role in protecting the skin from sunlight. The amount and variants of melanin determine the efficiency of converting light energy to heat. Green light is more effectively converted to heat than blue light. Metals accumulation in melanin can be visualized using transmission electron microscopy.
PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
R. Megia-Palma, O. Jimenez-Robles, J. A. Hernandez-Aguero, I. De la Riva
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Carlo Polidori, Alberto Jorge, Alexander Keller, Concepcion Ornosa, Jose Tormos, Josep Daniel Asis, Jose Luis Nieves-Aldrey
ORGANISMS DIVERSITY & EVOLUTION
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
R. Megia-Palma, L. Arregui, I. Pozo, A. Zagar, N. Seren, M. A. Carretero, S. Merino
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Ornithology
Johann H. Van Niekerk, Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Giovanni Forcina
Summary: The study examines the intraspecific geographical variation of vocalizations in the African species Crested Francolin Dendroperdix sephaena. It reveals that vocal variability is spatially discrete and closely linked to subspecies affiliation, with stronger responses to conspecific calls and weaker responses to heterospecific calls, particularly towards certain subspecies. The results suggest that vocal variation in D. sephaena may have evolved due to paleoclimatic events and allopatric diversification, followed by a re-expansion into partial sympatry.
Article
Ecology
Alexis Rutschmann, Andreaz Dupoue, Donald B. Miles, Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Clemence Lauden, Murielle Richard, Arnaud Badiane, David Rozen-Rechels, Mathieu Brevet, Pauline Blaimont, Sandrine Meylan, Jean Clobert, Jean-Francois Le Galliard
Summary: Research indicates that warmer nocturnal temperatures may affect the physiological performance and life history of ectotherms. While warmer nights can expand the thermal niche of ectotherms, excessive activity may lead to energy balance issues. These findings highlight the importance of considering nocturnal warming as a factor affecting ectotherms' life history in the context of global climate change.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Rafael Barrientos, Manuela Gallardo, Javier Martinez, Santiago Merino
Summary: Studies on lizards have shown that there is a negative relationship between pigment content and spectral brightness of their color patches, with more pigmented patches appearing darker. Additionally, a review of 18 studies with 24 intraspecific tests of the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis revealed that a majority (58%) did not support the hypothesis.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Robby M. Drechsler, Josabel Belliure, Rodrigo Megia-Palma
Summary: This study investigates the temporal host-parasite dynamics in a lizard community in Eastern Spain over an entire annual activity period. The results suggest that habitat type is the only predictor explaining the abundance of all parasites, with parasite abundance generally higher in forests than in dunes.
Article
Parasitology
Urban Dajcman, Miguel A. Carretero, Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Ana Perera, Rok Kostanjsek, Anamarija Zagar
Summary: This study analyzed the blood parasite infections in two competing lizard species and found that I. horvathi was more frequently and intensely parasitized than P. muralis. Male individuals were more susceptible to infection and showed higher parasite loads compared to conspecific females. The presence of blood parasitism may play a role in the dynamics of competition between these lizard species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
R. Megia-Palma, I Barja, R. Barrientos
Summary: Research suggests that in temperate regions, narrowing differences between air and ground temperatures with the advance of the season may lead ectotherm species to increase thermoregulatory precision and glucocorticoid secretion. However, this adaptive response to environmental thermal restrictions may also come with an increased susceptibility to ectoparasites.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Santiago Merino, Rafael Barrientos
Summary: Ontogeny, immune challenges, and habitat quality all influence the production and maintenance of colour patches in lizards. This study provides experimental evidence that colour patch production in P. algirus is plastic and can be affected by factors such as habitat quality and parasitic infections.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anamarija Zagar, Tatjana Simcic, Urban Dajcman, Rodrigo Megia-Palma
Summary: This study reveals the relationships between physiological, biotic, and environmental traits by investigating the metabolism in two sympatric lizard species across an elevational gradient.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jimena Rivera-Rea, J. Carlos Gonzalez-Morales, Victor Fajardo, Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Elizabeth Bastiaans, Javier Manjarrez
Summary: This study presents the first comparison of phenological variation in parasite load and inflammatory response in a lizard with asynchronous male and female gonadal cycles. The results suggest that parasite load differs between sexes and seasons, but there is no relationship between parasite load, body condition, and inflammatory response. The study highlights the complex interactions between hosts and parasites, which are influenced by both environmental and internal factors.
Article
Zoology
Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Dhanashree Paranjpe, Robert D. Cooper, Pauline Blaimont, Barry Sinervo
Summary: This study examines the relationship between lizard hosts and multiple parasites through staged contests in the lab. The findings suggest that parasite infections can influence the aggressive behavior of lizards, and the chroma and size of blue patches are related to lizard's pushup displays.
Article
Ornithology
Johann H. Van Niekerk, Rodrigo Megia-Palma, Giovanni Forcina
Summary: Ground-dwelling birds exhibit various mechanisms in response to heat and cold stress, and the role of glabrous skin in this process needs further investigation. The size and pigmentation of the throat skin in Helmeted Guineafowl are related to different habitats and environmental conditions, and play an important role in thermoregulation and sexual signalling.
Article
Zoology
Rafael Barrientos, Rodrigo Megia-Palma
Summary: Mitigation-driven translocations are increasingly used to address animal mortality and habitat loss due to human development, but scientific evaluation of this management solution is lacking. A study on small lizards found that translocated individuals covered longer distances, which was associated with poorer body condition and increased parasitization by ectoparasites. The study suggests the importance of soft release and deparasitization for individuals before mitigation-driven translocations.