Digest: Frog spots show broken receptors might work harder

Abstract

Posso-Terranova and Andrés (2017) used harlequin poison frogs to investigate the genetic basis of pigmentation evolution and variation. Using a candidate gene approach, they clearly delimited the origins and distribution of MC1R haplotypes and associated them with key pigmentation phenotypes on multiple levels. They demonstrated that MC1R-related cellular phenotypes and associated protein truncations evolved at least twice to produce dark dorsal skin colors in different clades.