Melanophores move pigment organelles (melanosomes) from the cell center to the periphery and vice-versa. These bidirectional movements require cytoplasmic microtubules and microfilaments and depend on the function of microtubule motors and a myosin. Earlier we found that melanosomes purified from Xenopus melanophores contain the plus end microtubule motor kinesin II, indicating that it may be i...

Cells known as melanophores contain melanosomes, which are membrane organelles filled with melanin, a dark, nonfluorescent pigment. Melanophores aggregate or disperse their melanosomes when the host needs to change its color in response to the environment (e.g., camouflage or social interactions). Melanosome transport in cultured Xenopus melanophores is mediated by myosin V, heterotrimeric kine...

this study was conducted to examine morphometric and meristic characteristics alongside pigmentation patterns of bream larvae, abramis brama orientalis, in four stages of larval development. morphological characters including total length (tl), standard length (sl), notochord length (nl), head length (hl), head depth (hd), eye diameter (ed) and mouth width (mw) were examined from hatching time ...

During the development of Xenopus laevis, after stage 26, a large number of dopa-positive cells were observed in the ventral region. Electron microscopic observations revealed that these cells became localized in the epidermal layer and contained premelanosomes. In cultured ventral skin, fully matured melanophores appeared. These results strongly suggest that a large number of melanoblasts are ...

1. In Fundulus heteroclitus the dispersing melanophore nerve fibers have a relatively high threshold for faradic stimulation and a low one for stimulation by cutting. When they are protected from the competing action of the concentrating fibers, they show through the responses of their melanophores well marked antidromic activities which can also be seen to a slight degree even where the concen...

The black pigment cells in the skin, iris, and retina of Eleutherodactylus martinicensis (Tschudi) are melanophores. Under the influence of c o 1 per cent, phenylthiourea the melanin disappears in about 84 hours at laboratory temperatures. After administration of the substance for 5 days, discontinuance of treatment is followed by return of the pigment within 72 hours, to an extent at least equ...

The melanophores of larval Xenopus laevis are disparately distributed on the hypomere in that the upper region (UHT) is densely pigmented, the median region (MHT) is moderately pigmented, and the lower region (LHT) is unpigmented. The roles of the melanoblasts and their tissue environment in determining the melanophore pattern was investigated by heterotopic transplantation of hypomeric tissues...