A transcription factor modulates dermal architecture to generate structural and pigment color diversity in lizards
Abstract
The way organisms perceive the world influences their evolution. Many animals detect ultraviolet (UV) light invisible to humans, creating sensory contexts that alter the selective landscape for coloration. Here, we dissected the molecular basis of a UV-reflecting color morph in common wall lizards, uncovering its association with a noncoding region upstream of the transcription factor PAX7 . Our results suggest that variation at this locus alters dermal architecture by modifying the cellular composition, exposing structures within specialized cells that generate UV structural coloration. We further demonstrate that the PAX7 locus acts epistatically on other color genes to suppress pigment deposition, revealing a genetic interaction between pigmentary and structural pathways that underlie color production. Across populations, the frequency of the UV morph was not predicted by environmental variation, arguing against climate-driven selection. Inferred frequencies of the UV-associated allele across sampled populations exhibited weaker spatial structure than expected from genome-wide variation, suggesting this polymorphism may be maintained by balancing selection. Our findings reveal mechanisms of phenotypic evolution beyond human perception and a genetic link between pigmentary and structural coloration.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (18)
Prem Aguilar
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Pedro Andrade
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Jindřich Brejcha
Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University
Paulo Pereira
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Roberto Arbore
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Javier Abalos
Department of Biology, Lund University
Sandra Afonso
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Rita Afonso
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Arnaud Badiane
Institute of Functional Genomics, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Lyon1 Université Claude Bernard
Enrique Font
Ethology Lab, Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València
Giulia Simbula
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Zuzana Bosakova
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University
Geoffrey M. While
School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
Tobias Uller
Department of Biology, Lund University
Catarina Pinho
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Leif Andersson
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University
Guillem Pérez i de Lanuza
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto
Miguel Carneiro
CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Universidade do Porto