The skin color of vertebrates depends on chromatophores—cells found in the superficial layers of the epidermis. A team of specialists in genetic determinism and color evolution in reptiles from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) is studying the wide variety of colors sported by different individuals within the corn snake species. The research, published in the journal PNAS, demonstrates that the dull color of the lavender variant of corn snake is caused by the mutation of a gene involved in forming lysosomes, the “garbage disposal” vesicles of cells. This single mutation is enough to affect every skin color, demonstrating that both the reflective crystals and pigments are stored in lysosome-related vesicles. The UNIGE study marks a significant step forward in our understanding of the origin of colors and patterns in the skin of vertebrates.
Click here for original story, Snakes reveal the origin of skin colours
Source: Phys.org