کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
10818921 1060280 2012 6 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
High prevalence of cataracts in birds with pheomelanin-based colouration
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری بیوشیمی، ژنتیک و زیست شناسی مولکولی زیست شیمی
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
High prevalence of cataracts in birds with pheomelanin-based colouration
چکیده انگلیسی
The crystalline lens of the eyes of vertebrates focuses light on the retina. Therefore, maintaining the lens clear is necessary for proper visual function. However, oxidative damage to proteins of the lens leads to opacification and lens dysfunction, termed cataract. Antioxidants thus have a role in avoiding the development of cataracts through their reduction of oxidative stress, and glutathione (GSH), a key intracellular antioxidant, belongs to the primary antioxidant defence mechanism of the lens. Other physiological mechanisms that require GSH may compete with the antioxidant mechanism of the eye. Pheomelanin is a main type of melanin, the most common pigment in vertebrates, and its synthesis consumes GSH. Here, we use data on 81 bird species to test the hypothesis that species producing large amounts of pheomelanin should have diminished capacity to use GSH to protect their eyes and, as a consequence, higher prevalence of cataracts. As predicted, the proportion of pheomelanic plumage was positively associated with the proportion of individuals with cataracts across species, suggesting that production of pheomelanin may have profound fitness consequences, as birds with cataracts have limited ability to perform vital activities. This constitutes the first comparative study of cataracts in wild animals.
ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology - Volume 162, Issue 3, July 2012, Pages 259-264
نویسندگان
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