据介绍，鹦鹉通过称为psittacofulvin（鹦黄素）的独特色素产生令人惊叹的羽毛颜色。然而，它们产生鲜艳的黄色、红色和绿色光谱的能力背后的机制仍然是个谜。
研究人员鉴定出了鹦鹉羽毛颜色的统一化学基础，这是由于在发育中的羽毛中选择性沉积含红色醛和黄色羧基的鹦黄素分子造成的。通过遗传作图、生化测定和单细胞基因组学，研究人员确定了这一过程中的一个关键角色，醛脱氢酶ALDH3A2，它在羽毛发育过程中将醛化的鹦黄素氧化成羧基形式。其分子机制非常简单，只需一种酶就能影响红色和黄色色素的平衡，这就为鹦鹉色彩在演化过程中的特殊不稳定性提供了解释。
附：英文原文
Title: A molecular mechanism for bright color variation in parrots
Author: Roberto Arbore, Soraia Barbosa, Jindich Brejcha, Yohey Ogawa, Yu Liu, Michal P. J. Nicola, Paulo Pereira, Stephen J. Sabatino, Alison Cloutier, Emily Shui Kei Poon, Cristiana I. Marques, Pedro Andrade, Gerben Debruyn, Sandra Afonso, Rita Afonso, Shatadru Ghosh Roy, Uri Abdu, Ricardo J. Lopes, Peter Mojze, Petr Marík, Simon Yung Wa Sin, Michael A. White, Pedro M. Araújo, Joseph C. Corbo, Miguel Carneiro
Issue&Volume: 2024-11-01
Abstract: Parrots produce stunning plumage colors through unique pigments called psittacofulvins. However, the mechanism underlying their ability to generate a spectrum of vibrant yellows, reds, and greens remains enigmatic. We uncover a unifying chemical basis for a wide range of parrot plumage colors, which result from the selective deposition of red aldehyde- and yellow carboxyl-containing psittacofulvin molecules in developing feathers. Through genetic mapping, biochemical assays, and single-cell genomics, we identified a critical player in this process, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3A2, which oxidizes aldehyde psittacofulvins into carboxyl forms in late-differentiating keratinocytes during feather development. The simplicity of the underlying molecular mechanism, in which a single enzyme influences the balance of red and yellow pigments, offers an explanation for the exceptional evolutionary lability of parrot coloration.
DOI: adp7710
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp7710