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Updated: May 21, 2026

Reverse Genetic Approach to Identify Regulators of Pigmentation using Zebrafish
Published on: March 1, 2022
Melanocortin systems on pigment dispersion in fish chromatophores
Yuki Kobayashi1, Kanta Mizusawa, Yumiko Saito
1School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
Abstract:
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is responsible for pigment dispersion in the chromatophores of fish and other tetrapods such as amphibians and reptiles. Recently, we discovered that α-MSH did not always stimulate pigment dispersion because this hormonal peptide exerted no effects on the melanophores of flounders. We assumed that the reduction of α-MSH activity was related to the co-expression of different α-MSH receptor subtypes - termed melanocortin receptors (MCR) - a member of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) - based on several reports demonstrating that GPCR forms heterodimers with various properties that are distinct from those of the corresponding monomers. In this review, we summarize the relationships between the pigment-dispersing activity of α-MSH-related peptides, molecular forms of α-MSH-related peptides, and mcr subtypes expressed in fish chromatophores.
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