ISSN:
1432-1351
Keywords:
Dermal melanophore
;
Epidermal melanophore
;
Melanophore frequency
;
α-Melanophore stimulating hormone
;
Winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Abstract Winter flounder, Pleuronectes americanus, adapting to black or white backgrounds display significant increase and decline respectively in the number of visible epidermal melanophores over periods up to 8 weeks or longer. This contrasts with a stability in the number of visible dermal melanophores during the same periods of exposure to each background. Flounders treated with α-melanophore stimulating hormone exhibited an enhanced rate of increase in number of visible epidermal melanophores when the background was changed from white to black, whereas white-adapted flounder treated with α-melanophore stimulating hormone without background change did not manifest any such increase in number of epidermal melanophores. Flounder treated with α-melanophore stimulating hormone after transfer from black to white displayed a similar initial decline in visible epidermal melanophore number as in control fish, but the final decline was significantly attenuated. Thus α-melanophore stimulating hormone, which has no apparent influence on melanosome dispersion in this species, may have a limited morphological melanophore regulatory role which is discussed in relation to possible antagonistic and synergistic factors that could influence melanogenesis and visible melanophore numbers.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00212697
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