@article{TEXTUAL,
      recid = {5874},
      author = {Bayala, Erick X. and VanKuren, Nicholas and Massardo,  Darli and Kronforst, Marcus R.},
      title = {<i>aristaless1</i> has a dual role in  appendage formation and wing color specification during  butterfly development},
      journal = {BMC Biology},
      address = {2023-05-04},
      number = {TEXTUAL},
      abstract = {<p>Background: Highly diverse butterfly wing patterns have  emerged as a powerful system for understanding the genetic  basis of phenotypic variation. While the genetic basis of  this pattern variation is being clarified, the precise  developmental pathways linking genotype to phenotype are  not well understood. The gene aristaless, which plays a  role in appendage patterning and extension, has been  duplicated in Lepidoptera. One copy, aristaless1, has been  shown to control a white/yellow color switch in the  butterfly Heliconius cydno, suggesting a novel function  associated with color patterning and pigmentation. Here we  investigate the developmental basis of al1 in embryos,  larvae, and pupae using new antibodies, CRISPR/Cas9, RNAi,  qPCR assays of downstream targets, and pharmacological  manipulation of an upstream activator.</p> <p>Results: We  find that Al1 is expressed at the distal tips of developing  embryonic appendages consistent with its ancestral role. In  developing wings, we observe Al1 accumulation within  developing scale cells of white H. cydno during early  pupation while yellow scale cells exhibit little Al1 at  this time point. Reduced Al1 expression is also associated  with yellow scale development in al1 knockouts and  knockdowns. We propose that Al1 expression in future white  scales might be related to an observed downregulation of  the enzyme Cinnabar and other genes that synthesize and  transport the yellow pigment, 3–hydroxykynurenine (3-OHK).  Finally, we provide evidence that Al1 activation is under  the control of Wnt signaling.</p> <p>Conclusions: We  propose a model in which high levels of Al1 during early  pupation, which are mediated by Wnt, are important for  melanic pigmentation and specifying white portions of the  wing while reduced levels of Al1 during early pupation  promote upregulation of proteins needed to move and  synthesize 3-OHK, promoting yellow pigmentation. In  addition, we discuss how the ancestral role of aristaless  in appendage extension may be relevant in understanding the  cellular mechanism behind color patterning in the context  of the heterochrony hypothesis.</p>},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/5874},
}