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Electroporation-mediated RNA Interference Method in Odonata

Electroporation-mediated RNA Interference Method in Odonata

Published on: February 6, 2021

Redox alters yellow dragonflies into red.

Ryo Futahashi¹, Ryoji Kurita, Hiroaki Mano

¹Bioproduction Research Institute and Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba 305-8566, Japan. ryo-futahashi@aist.go.jp

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|July 11, 2012

Summary

Dragonfly body color changes from yellow to red with sexual maturation due to the redox state of ommochrome pigments. This molecular mechanism, regulated by oxidation and reduction, controls this ecologically important trait.

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Area of Science:

Zoology
Biochemistry
Animal Behavior

Background:

Sexual maturation often triggers distinct body color changes (nuptial coloration) in animals, influencing reproductive success.
In dragonflies, males transition from yellow to red upon maturation, a phenomenon crucial for mating and territoriality but poorly understood at the molecular level.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the molecular basis of the sex-related yellow-to-red body color transition in dragonflies.
To investigate the role of ommochrome pigments and their redox states in regulating dragonfly coloration.

Main Methods:

Quantified ratios of reduced-form to oxidized-form ommochrome pigments in dragonflies of different sexes and maturation stages.
Observed in vitro color changes of extracted ommochrome pigments under varying redox conditions (oxidant and reductant).
Experimentally induced color changes in vivo by injecting reductant solution into dragonflies and examined coloration in gynandromorphic individuals.

Main Results:

Significantly higher ratios of reduced-form to oxidized-form pigments were found in red mature males compared to yellow females and immature males.
Extracted ommochrome pigments exhibited reversible color changes (red to yellow with oxidant, yellow to red with reductant) in vitro.
In vivo injection of reductant successfully induced yellow-to-red color change in immature males and mature females, with mosaic patterns observed in gynandromorphs.

Conclusions:

Dragonfly yellow/red body color changes are regulated by the redox state of epidermal ommochrome pigments.
This redox-dependent mechanism provides a simple molecular basis for an ecologically significant color trait, demonstrating cell-autonomous regulation.