Journal
CURRENT ZOOLOGY
Volume 62, Issue 3, Pages 237-252Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/cz/zow051
Keywords
chromatophore; hormone; neurotransmitter; physiological color change; pigment; vertebrate
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Funding
- ASU Graduate College Completion Fellowship
- National Science Foundation [1401236]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems [1401236] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The fundamental unit of rapid, physiological color change in vertebrates is the dermal chromatophore unit. This unit, comprised of cellular associations between different chromatophore types, is relatively conserved across the fish, amphibian, and reptilian species capable of physiological color change and numerous attempts have been made to understand the nature of the four major chromatophore types (melanophores, erythrophores, xanthophores, and iridophores) and their biochemical regulation. In this review, we attempt to describe the current state of knowledge regarding what classifies a pigment cell as a dynamic chromatophore, the unique characteristics of each chromatophore type, and how different hormones, neurotransmitters, or other signals direct pigment reorganization in a variety of vertebrate taxa.
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