Andy Moore

To change color, animals often rearrange their optical materials: redistribute pigments, change crystal spacing, or tilt reflective structures. In our new study, just published in Advanced Materials, zebrafish reveal another mechanism: changing the molecular order within those materials. We studied xantholeucophores, cells in the light stripes of the zebrafish anal fin, originally identified by the @parichylab lab as developing from yellow, xanthophore-like progenitors. During development, these cells become highly efficient visible-light scatterers while retaining strong UV absorption. What changes inside them? Their pteridine-containing organelles undergo a transition from relatively disordered assemblies to highly ordered, liquid-crystal-like structures. This molecular reorganization transforms how the cells interact with light. The gatekeeper is potassium! We found that as the cells mature, K⁺ levels fall within their organelles and the pteridines become ordered. In vitro, removing K⁺ alone was sufficient to trigger ordering and crystallization. A change in the ionic environment can therefore control the assembly's molecular order and its optical function. The chemistry held another surprise. These organelles contain a composite of isoxanthopterin and 7-oxo-biopterin, which we identify as a major constituent. This adds 7-oxo-biopterin to the repertoire of small molecules known to participate in ordered, functional biological assemblies. The result is one cell doing two optical jobs: efficiently scattering visible light and absorbing UV. Molecular ordering makes the fin more conspicuous while preserving the pigments' UV absorption. Biology doesn't always need to move its optical materials around. Sometimes it just needs to convince the molecules to get their act together. This work was led by the terrific @SourabhBera4 , together with @ZoharEyal1, Yael Noy, @yuval_barzi, @Siddharth Sahoo, Avi Baram, and Tali Lerer-Goldshtein from our lab. With amazing contributions from our collaborators and friends: Venkata Jayasurya Yallapragada, Srikant Moharana, Ido Hadar, Bar Bader, Andrea Sorrentino, Neta Varsano, Lothar Houben, Uwe Heinig, Iddo Pinkas, Moshe Goldsmith, Tamar Unger, Shira Albeck, Maxim Itkin, Sergey Malitsky, and Ziv Porat. @Weizmann Institute of Science Check it out: advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley…