. Annual report. Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology. MCZ NEWS: RESEARCH. Marie Manceau (left) and Hopi Hoekstra Designer Genes Survival in the wild can be determined by how well an animal's coloration hides it from predators. However, the genetic mechanisms that create color patterns have been little understood. Marie Manceau and Hopi E. Hoekstra used two populations of deer mice, each differentiy adapted to be camouflaged in their particular environment, to show how the Agouti gene plays a key developmental role in color pattern evolution. The color pattern in deer mice—a dark
. Annual report. Harvard University. Museum of Comparative Zoology. MCZ NEWS: RESEARCH. Marie Manceau (left) and Hopi Hoekstra Designer Genes Survival in the wild can be determined by how well an animal's coloration hides it from predators. However, the genetic mechanisms that create color patterns have been little understood. Marie Manceau and Hopi E. Hoekstra used two populations of deer mice, each differentiy adapted to be camouflaged in their particular environment, to show how the Agouti gene plays a key developmental role in color pattern evolution. The color pattern in deer mice—a dark back and a light belly—is the most typical in vertebrates. The researchers found that the expression of the Agouti gene in the belly of the developing fetus delays the maturation of cells that will eventually produce pigments, and thus the development of color, in that area of the body. In addition, the researchers found that subtle changes in the gene's embryonic activity can also make a profound difference in the distribution of pigments across the entire body. Their findings were published in Science. Beyond color patterning, this study highlights how even small changes in Agouti gene expression in embryos can establish a completely new color pattern in adults. In deer mice, natural selection drives changes in the amount and place of Agouti expression, which in turn results in new color patterns that can camouflage animals from predators in habitats ranging from dark forests to sandy beaches. Manceau and Hoekstra plan to continue their research with animals having more complex color patterns, such as chipmunks, to determine if the same pre-patterning mechanisms seen in deer mice are also involved. Manceau M, Domingues VS, Mallarino R Hoekstra HE (2011) The developmental role of Agouti in color pattern evolution. Science 331 Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration a
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