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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Visualizing the Developing Brain in Living Zebrafish using Brainbow and Time-lapse Confocal Imaging
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Visualizing the Developing Brain in Living Zebrafish using Brainbow and Time-lapse Confocal Imaging

Published on: March 23, 2020

Light-induced body color change in developing zebrafish.

Tomoya Shiraki1, Daisuke Kojima, Yoshitaka Fukada

  • 1Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.

Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences : Official Journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology
|October 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Zebrafish larvae change color in response to light. Pigment dispersion is triggered by melanophore photoreception, while pigment aggregation relies on eye-based photoreception, with responses changing with development.

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative physiology
  • Developmental biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Lower vertebrates alter body color via melanin granule movement in melanophores.
  • This physiological response is regulated by photoreception in various organs, including eyes, pineal gland, brain, and melanophores.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a quantitative method for measuring light-induced body color changes in zebrafish larvae.
  • To investigate the developmental changes in light-induced pigment dispersion and aggregation.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a monitoring system for quantitative measurement of light-induced body color change in zebrafish larvae.
  • Observed pigment dispersion and aggregation at different developmental stages (from 2 days post-fertilization).
  • Conducted experiments with eye removal and isolated tails to differentiate photoreception pathways.

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Visualizing the Developing Brain in Living Zebrafish using Brainbow and Time-lapse Confocal Imaging
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Published on: March 23, 2020

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Main Results:

  • Dermal melanophores responded to light from 2 days post-fertilization, with changing response patterns.
  • Light induced fast pigment dispersion at 2 dpf, and delayed aggregation from 3 dpf onwards.
  • Eye removal abolished light-dependent pigment aggregation but not dispersion; dispersion occurred even in isolated tails.

Conclusions:

  • Pigment dispersion is initiated by photoreception within melanophores.
  • Pigment aggregation is mediated by photoreception in the eyes.
  • The developed monitoring system aids in understanding neural mechanisms of body color change and the role of opsins.