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Fig. 5 | BMC Evolutionary Biology

Fig. 5

From: A pleiotropic interaction between vision loss and hypermelanism in Astyanax mexicanus cave x surface hybrids

Fig. 5

Melanophores derived from hypermelanic fish respond normally to melanin-concentrating hormone. Scale melanophores derived from hypermelanic hybrid fish and surface-dwelling fish were exposed to 1 μM of melanin-concentrating hormone (“MCH”). Both melanophore types displayed a robust response to MCH treatment, quantified as a reduction in melanophore area between untreated and MCH-treated conditions (a). Note that untreated hypermelanic melanophores are significantly larger than untreated surface melanophores (p = 0.013), however the level of darkness between melanophore types did not differ (b). A qualitative comparison of representative melanophore scales before and after MCH treatment reveals a robust reduction in melanophore size in response to treatment in both surface fish (c) and hypermelanic hybrid fish (d). Note that not all melanophores exhibited a response to MCH treatment. Red box in C and D depicts traced area of melanophores

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