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View Full Version : reflectin protein in ceph light organs


monty
Jul 18, '07, 12:36am
Apparently, the "reflectin" protein found in squid reflectors is very different from similar non-ceph homologues (http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v6/n7/abs/nmat1930.html). I just stumbled on this randomly when looking for something else, but it was interesting. This particular paper is rather photonics and protein heavy and cephalopod-light, but it references some other papers that describe it a bit more in vivo, including two by Hanlon et. al. This sounds like yet another case where a cephalopod genome project would be interesting, since the evolutionary history of this reflectin stuff seems likely died to coleoid development... I wonder if the same stuff is found in Vampyroteuthis and Spirula light organs... are there any octopuses that have light organs with reflectors? (edit: Nixon & Young describe a circumoral photophore in female Eledonella, but don't say if it has a reflector structure.) If so, they'd be interesting as well. And even more interesting if the protein also accounts for the iridescence of nautilus (or ammonite) shells!

further edits: does anyone have the Herring 1994 article on Vampyroteuthis from J. Zool? I can't find it online...
monty
Jul 18, '07, 3:37am
other questions: do nautilus have leucophores or pigment cells? Are their white parts just because muscle cells are white in cephs? Are the red-brown parts in pigment "packets" like one might expect precursors to chromatophores?

also, despite many references saying that there are no bioluminescent cirroctopods, apparently there are (http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0006-3185(199908)197%3A1%3C26%3ABITDCO%3E2.0. CO%3B2-M)
Architeuthoceras
Jul 18, '07, 9:08am
Not a Ceph, but molluscan, and not the mantle, but the shell, seems color comes from the mantle. Probably much like a Nautilus.


Patterns on tropical marine mollusc shell mirror gene expression patterns (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061126121128.htm)
monty
Jul 18, '07, 1:18pm
Not a Ceph, but molluscan, and not the mantle, but the shell, seems color comes from the mantle. Probably much like a Nautilus.


Patterns on tropical marine mollusc shell mirror gene expression patterns (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061126121128.htm)

Thanks! Not only is that a cool reference, but the full article is online: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/4/40 and when google scholaring for it, I found an index of open access journals! http://www.doaj.org/