Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates
Abstract
Recent discoveries of nonintegumentary melanosomes in extant and fossil amphibians offer potential insights into the physiological functions of melanin not directly related to color production, but the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary history of these internal melanosomes has not been characterized systematically. Here, we present a holistic method to discriminate among melanized tissues by analyzing the anatomical distribution, morphology, and chemistry of melanosomes in various tissues in a phylogenetically broad sample of extant and fossil vertebrates. Our results show that internal melanosomes in all extant vertebrates analyzed have tissue-specific geometries and elemental signatures. Similar distinct populations of preserved melanosomes in phylogenetically diverse vertebrate fossils often map onto specific anatomical features. This approach also reveals the presence of various melanosome-rich internal tissues in fossils, providing a mechanism for the interpretation of the internal anatomy of ancient vertebrates. Collectively, these data indicate that vertebrate melanins share fundamental physiological roles in homeostasis via the scavenging and sequestering of metals and suggest that intimate links between melanin and metal metabolism in vertebrates have deep evolutionary origins.
- Authors:
-
[5]
- Univ. College Cork, Cork (Ireland). School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Univ. College Cork, Cork (Ireland). School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
- Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, Aichi (Japan). Dept. of Chemistry
- Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, Aichi (Japan). Dept. of Chemistry
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1625031
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 116; Journal Issue: 36; Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
- Publisher:
- National Academy of Sciences
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; fossil melanin; synchrotron X-ray fluorescence; soft tissue; taphonomy; metallome
Citation Formats
Rossi, Valentina, McNamara, Maria E., Webb, Sam M., Ito, Shosuke, and Wakamatsu, Kazumasa. Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1073/pnas.1820285116.
Rossi, Valentina, McNamara, Maria E., Webb, Sam M., Ito, Shosuke, & Wakamatsu, Kazumasa. Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates. United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1820285116
Rossi, Valentina, McNamara, Maria E., Webb, Sam M., Ito, Shosuke, and Wakamatsu, Kazumasa. Mon .
"Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates". United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1820285116. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1625031.
@article{osti_1625031,
title = {Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates},
author = {Rossi, Valentina and McNamara, Maria E. and Webb, Sam M. and Ito, Shosuke and Wakamatsu, Kazumasa},
abstractNote = {Recent discoveries of nonintegumentary melanosomes in extant and fossil amphibians offer potential insights into the physiological functions of melanin not directly related to color production, but the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary history of these internal melanosomes has not been characterized systematically. Here, we present a holistic method to discriminate among melanized tissues by analyzing the anatomical distribution, morphology, and chemistry of melanosomes in various tissues in a phylogenetically broad sample of extant and fossil vertebrates. Our results show that internal melanosomes in all extant vertebrates analyzed have tissue-specific geometries and elemental signatures. Similar distinct populations of preserved melanosomes in phylogenetically diverse vertebrate fossils often map onto specific anatomical features. This approach also reveals the presence of various melanosome-rich internal tissues in fossils, providing a mechanism for the interpretation of the internal anatomy of ancient vertebrates. Collectively, these data indicate that vertebrate melanins share fundamental physiological roles in homeostasis via the scavenging and sequestering of metals and suggest that intimate links between melanin and metal metabolism in vertebrates have deep evolutionary origins.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1820285116},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
number = 36,
volume = 116,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {8}
}
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