Abstract
The pineal hormone melatonin is a multi-functional molecule with a recognized role in pigment aggregation in chromatophores, mediating its actions through binding to subtypes of its specific receptors. Since its discovery, melatonin has been known to be responsible for pigment aggregation towards the cell centre in fishes, including their embryos, as an adaptation to reduced light and thus results in pale body colouration. Diversity exists in the sensitivity of melanophores towards melatonin at interspecies, intraspecific levels, seasons, and amongst chromatophores at different regions of the animal body. In most of the fishes, melatonin leads to their skin paling at night. It is indicated that the melatonin receptors have characteristically maintained to show the same aggregating effects in fishes and other vertebrates in the evolutionary hierarchy. However, besides this aggregatory effect, melatonin is also responsible for pigment dispersion in certain fishes. Here is the demand in our review to explore further the nature of the dispersive behaviour of melatonin through the so-called β-melatonin receptors. It is clear that the pigment translocations in lower vertebrates under the effect of melatonin are mediated through the melatonin receptors coupled with other hormonal receptors as well. Therefore, being richly supplied with a variety of receptors, chromatophores and melanocytes can be used as in vitro test models for pharmacological applications of known and novel drugs. In this review, we present diverse effects of melatonin on chromatophores of fishes in particular with appropriate implications on most of the recent findings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abbott FS (1968) The effects of certain drugs and biogenic substances on the melanophores of Fundulus heteroclitus L. Can J Zool 46:1149–1161. https://doi.org/10.1139/z68-165
Arendt J (1995) Melatonin and the mammalian pineal gland. Chapman and Hall, London
Arendt J (1998) Melatonin and the pineal gland: influence on mammalian seasonal and circadian physiology. Rev Reprod 3:13–22. https://doi.org/10.1530/ror.0.0030013
Aspengren S, Sköld HN, Quiroga G, Mårtensson L, Wallin M (2003) Noradrenaline and melatonin-mediated regulation of pigment aggregation in fish melanophores. Pigment Cell Res 16:59–64. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0749.2003.00003.x
Axelrod J, Quay WB, Baker PC (1965) Enzymatic synthesis of the skin-lightening agent, melatonin, in amphibians. Nature 208:386. https://doi.org/10.1038/208386a0
Bagnara JT, Hadley ME (1973a) Chromatophores and color change: the comparative physiology of animal pigmentation. Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall. Inc., New Jersey, p 202
Bagnara JT, Hadley ME (1973) Chromatophores and pigments. In: Hoar WS, Randall DJ (eds) Fish physiology, vol 3. Academic Press, New York, p 307
Bardak H, Uğuz AC, Bardak Y (2018) Protective effects of melatonin and memantine in human retinal pigment epithelium (ARPE-19) cells against 2-ethylpyridine-induced oxidative stress: implications for age-related macular degeneration. Cutan Ocul Toxicol 37:112–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/15569527.2017.1354218
Beeching SC (1995) Colour pattern and inhibition of aggression in the cichlid fish Astronotus ocellatus. J Fish Biol 47:50–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01872.x
Bhargava NH, Jain AK (1978) Some aspects of colour change mechanism in the Indian freshwater silurold, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch). Biochem Exp Biol 14:359–373
Bocheva G, Slominski RM, Janjetovic Z, Kim T-K, Böhm M, Steinbrink K, Reiter RJ, Kleszczynski K, Slominski AT (2022) Protective role of melatonin and its metabolites in skin aging. Int J Mol Sci 23:1238. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031238
Camargo-dos-Santos B, Gonçalves BB, Bellot MS et al (2021) 2021) Water turbidity–induced alterations in coloration and courtship behavior of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata. Acta Ethol 24:127–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-021-00369-8
Cecon E, Oishi A, Jockers R (2018) Melatonin receptors: molecular pharmacology and signalling in the context of system bias. Br J Pharmacol 175:3263–3280. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.13950
Cheney KL, Cortesi F, Sköld HN (2017) Regulation, constraints and benefits of colour plasticity in a mimicry system. Biol J Linn Soc 122:385–393. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blx057
Chèze G, Ali MA (1976) Rôle de l’épiphyse dans la migration du pigment épithélial rétinien chez quelques téléostéens. Can J Zool 54:475–481. https://doi.org/10.1139/z76-054
Dubocovich ML (1988) Pharmacology and function of melatonin receptors. FASEB J 2:2765–2773. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2.12.2842214
Ebisawa T, Karne S, Lerner MR, Reppert SM (1994) Expression cloning of a high-affinity melatonin receptor from Xenopus dermal melanophores. Neurobiol Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:6133–6137. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.13.6133
Eddy JMP, Strahan R (1968) The role of the pineal complex in the pigmentary effector system of the lampreys, Mordacia mordax Richardson and Geotria australis (Grey). Gen Comp Endocrinol 11:528–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/00166480(68)90067-1
Fain WB, Hadley ME (1966) In vitro response of melanophores of Fundulus heteroclitus to melatonin, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Am Zool 6:596
Fanouraki E, Laitinen JT, Divanach P, Pavlidis M (2007) Endocrine regulation of skin blanching in red porgy, Pagrus pagrus. Ann Zool Fennici 44:241–248. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23736768
Filadelfi AMC, Castrucci AMDL (1994) Melatonin desensitizing effects on the in vitro responses to MCH, alpha-MSH, isoproterenol and melatonin in pigment cells of a fish (S. marmoratus), a toad (B. ictericus), a frog (R. pipiens), and a lizard (A. carolinensis), exposed to varying photoperiodic regimes. Comp Biochem Physiol A: Physiology 109:1027–1037. https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(94)90252-6
Filadelfi AMC, Castrucci AMDL (1996a) Comparative aspects of the pineal/melatonin system of poikilothermic vertebrates. J Pineal Res 20:175–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.1996.tb00256.x
Filadelfi AMC, Castrucci AMDL (1996b) Serotonin and N-acetylserotonin effects on pigment cells of the toad Bufo ictericus: pharmacological characterization of melatonin receptors. Gen Comp Endocrinol 103:192–199. https://doi.org/10.1006/gcen.1996.0110
Franco-Belussi L, De Oliveira C, Sköld HN (2018) Regulation of eye and jaw colouration in three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. J Fish Biol 92:1788–1804. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13620
Fujii R (1961) Demonstration of the adrenergic nature of transmission at the junction between melanophore-concentrating nerve and melanophore in bony fish. J Fac Sci Univ Tokyo Sect 4:171–196
Fujii R (1969) Chromatophores and pigments. In: Hoar WS, Randall DJ (eds) Fish physiology, vol 3. Academic Press, New York, pp 307–353
Fujii R (1993a) Coloration and chromatophores. In: Evans DH (ed) The physiology of fishes. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 535–562
Fujii R (1993b) Cytophysiology of fish chromatophores. Int Rev Cytol 143:191–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0074-7696(08)61876-8
Fujii R (2000) The regulation of motile activity in fish chromatophores. Pigment Cell Res 13:300–319. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0749.2000.130502.x
Fujii R, Miyashita Y (1976) Receptor mechanisms in fish chromatophores—III. Neurally controlled melanosome aggregation in a siluroid (Parasilurus asotus) is strangely mediated by cholinoceptors. Comp Biochem Physiol C 55:43–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4492(76)90010-1
Fujii R, Miyashita Y (1978) Receptor mechanisms in fish chromatophores–IV. Effects of melatonin and related substances on dermal and epidermal melanophores of the siluroid, Parasilurus asotus. Comp Biochem Physiol C Comp Pharmacol 59:59–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4492(78)90012-6
Fujii R, Oshima N (1986) Control of chromatophore movements in teleost fishes. Zool Sci 3:13–47
Fujii R, Oshima N (1994) Factors influencing motile activities of fish chromatophores. In: Gilles R (ed) Advances in comparative and environmental physiology, vol 20. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp 1–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-78598-6_1
Fujii R, Miyashita Y, Fujii Y (1982) Muscarinic cholinoceptors mediate neurally evoked pigment aggregation in glass catfish melanophores. J Neural Transm 54:29–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01249276
Fujii R, Oshima N, Miyashita Y (1985) Receptor mechanisms in fish chromatophores–VIII. Mediated by beta adrenoceptors, catecholamines always act to disperse pigment in siluroid melanophores. Comp Biochem Physiol C 81:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(85)90082-9
Fujii R, Sugimoto M, Oshima N (1992) Blanching at night of denervated bands in teleostean tail fins is due to pigment aggregation in melanophores by melatonin. Comp Biochem Physiol 101:29–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(92)90623-X
Fujii R (1998) Skin colors and patterns in fish. Leonardo 31:41–42. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/607582
Fujii R, Taguchi S (1969) The responses of fish melanophores to some melanin-aggregating and dispersing agents in potassium-rich medium. Annot Zool Jpn 42:176–182. http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/10854957
Fujishige A, Moriwake T, Ono A, Ishii Y, Tsuchiya T (2000) Control of melanosome movement in intact and cultured melanophores in the bitterling, Acheilognathus lanceolatus. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 127:167–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(00)00252-X
Goda M, Kuriyama T (2021) Physiological and morphological color changes in teleosts and in reptiles. In: Pigments, pigment cells and pigment patterns. Springer, Singapore, pp 387–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1490-3_13
Goda M, Fujii R (1996) Biology of the chromatophores of the ice goby, Leucopsarion petersii. Zool Sci. 13:783–793. https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.13.783
Goda M, Fujii R (1998) The blue coloration of the common surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus-II. Color revelation and color changes. Zool Sci 15:323–333. https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.15.323
Goda M, Fujii R (2001) Coloration and chromatophores of the domino damsel Dascyllus Trimaculatus. Zool Sci 18:165–174. https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.18.165
Gonçalves-de-Freitas E, Bolognesi MC, Gauy ACDS, Brandão ML, Giaquinto PC, Fernan-des-Castilho M (2019) Social behavior and welfare in Nile tilapia. Fishes 4:23. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes4020023
Green JP (1964a) Morphological color change in the Hawaiian ghost crab, Ocypode ceratophthalma (Pallas). Biol Bull 126:407–413. https://doi.org/10.2307/1539309
Green JP (1964b) Morphological color change in the fiddler crab, Uca pugnax (S.I. Smith). Biol Bull 127:239–255. https://doi.org/10.2307/1539223
Hafeez MA (1970) Effect of melatonin on body coloration and spontaneous swimming activity in rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri. Comp Biochem Physiol 36:639–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-406X(70)90523-2
Hafeez MA, Quay WB (1970) The role of the pineal organ in the control of phototaxis and body coloration in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri, Richardson). Z Vergl Physiologie 68:403–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297738
Hayashi H, Sugimoto M, Oshima N, Fujii R (1993) Circadian motile activity of erythrophores in the red abdominal skin of tetra fishes and its possible significance in chromatic adaptation. Pigment Cell Res 6:29–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.1993.tb00578.x
Healey EG, Ross DM (1966) The effects of drugs on the background colour response of the minnow Phoxinus phoxinus L. Comp Biochem Physiol 19:545–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-406X(66)90039-9
Hu F (1963) Hormonal influence on gold fish pigment cells in vitro. In: Rose GG (ed) Cinemicrography in cell biology. Academic Press, NY, pp 339–356
Kasukawa H, Fujii R (1984) Potassium ions act to release transmitter from “cholinergic” sympathetic postganglionic fiber to the glass catfish melanophore. Zool Sci 1:553–558
Kasukawa H, Fujii R (1985) Receptor mechanisms in fish chromatophores–VII. Muscarinic cholinoceptors and alpha adrenoceptors, both mediating pigment aggregation, strangely coexist in Corydoras melanophores. Comp Biochem Physiol C 80:211–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(85)90044-1
Kasukawa H, Sugimoto M, Oshima N, Fujii R (1985) Control of chromatophore movements in dermal chromatic units of blue damselfish–I. The Melanophore. Comp Biochem Physiol C 81:253–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(85)90002-7
Katayama H, Morishita F, Matsushima O, Fujimoto M (1999) β-Adrenergic receptor subtypes in melanophores of the marine gobies Tridentiger trigonocephalus and Chasmichthys gulosus. Pigment Cell Res 12:206–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.1999.tb00515.x
Kavaliers M, Firth BT, Ralph CL (1980) Pineal control of a circadian rhythm of colour change in the killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus). Can J Zool 58:456–460. https://doi.org/10.1139/z80-060
Kavaliers M (1980) The pineal organ and circadian rhythms of fishes. In: Ali MA (ed) Environmental physiology of fishes, vol 35. Springer-Verlag US, pp 631–645. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3659-2_25
Ko GY-P (2020) Circadian regulation in the retina: from molecules to network. Eur J Neurosci 51:194–216. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.14185
Kulczykowska E, Kalamarz-Kubiak H, Gozdowska M, Sokołowska E (2018) Cortisol and melatonin in the cutaneous stress response system of fish. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 218:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.01.003
Laurens H (1916) The reactions of the melanophores of Amblystoma larvae. The supposed influence of the pineal organ. J Exp Zool 20:237–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1400200208
Laurent V, Sengupta A, Sánchez-Bretaño A, Hicks D, Tosini G (2017) Melatonin signaling affects the timing in the daily rhythm of phagocytic activity by the retinal pigment epithelium. Exp Eye Res 165:90–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2017.09.007
Lerner AB, Case JD, Takahashi Y, Lee TH, Mori W (1958) Isolation of melatonin, the pineal gland factor that lightens melanocytes. J Am Chem Soc 80:2587. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01543a060
Lerner AB, Case JD, Heinzelman RV (1959) Structure of melatonin. J Am Chem Soc 81:6084–6085. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01531a060
Lerner AB, Case JD, Takahashi Y (1960) Isolation of melatonin and 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid from bovine pineal glands. J Biol Chem 235:1992–1997. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(18)69351-2
Ligon RA, McCartney KL (2016) Biochemical regulation of pigment motility in vertebrate chromatophores: a review of physiological color change mechanisms. Curr Zool 62:237–252. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zow051
Mailliet F, Ferry G, Vella F, Berger S, Cogé F, Chomarat P, Mallet C, Guénin SP, Guillaumet G, Viaud-Massuard MC, Yous S, Delagrange P, Boutin JA (2005) Characterization of the melatoninergic MT3 binding site on the NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2 enzyme. Biochem Pharmacol 71:74–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2005.09.030
Mårtensson LG, Andersson RG (1999) A pharmacological interaction between melatonin and the α2-adrenoceptor in cuckoo wrasse melanophores. Adv Exp Med Biol. 460:221–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-46814-X
Martensson LGE, Andersson RGG (1995) Melatonin induced pigment aggregation mediated by an alpha-2-adrenoceptor. Pharmacol Res 31(S-1):187. https://doi.org/10.1016/1043-6618(95)87009-1
Martensson LGE, Andersson RGG (1996) A melatonin binding site modulates the α2-adrenoceptor. Life Sci 58:525–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(95)02318-6
Martensson LGE, Andersson RGG (1997) Denervation of pigment cells lead to a receptor that is ultrasensitive to melatonin and noradrenaline. Life Sci 60:1575–1582. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-3205(97)00123-9
Martensson LGE, Andersson RGG (2000) Is Ca2+ the second messenger in the response to melatonin in cuckoo wrasse melanophores? Life Sci 66:1003–1010. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-3205(99)00665-7
Martinez-Chavez CC, Al-Khamees S, Campos-Mendoza A, Penman DJ, Migaud H (2008) Clock-controlled endogenous melatonin rhythms in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus) and African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Chronobiol Int 25:31–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/07420520801917547
Masagaki A, Fujii R (1999) Differential actions of melatonin on melanophores of the threeline pencilfish Nannostomus Trifasciatus. Zool Sci 16:35–42. https://doi.org/10.2108/zsj.16.35
Masana MI, Dubocovich ML (2001) Melatonin receptor signaling: finding the path through the dark. Sci STKE 2001:39. https://doi.org/10.1126/stke.2001.107.pe39
Matsumoto J, Watanabe Y, Obika M, Hadley ME (1978) Mechanisms controlling pigment movements within swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) erythrophores in primary cell culture. Comp Biochem Physiol 61A:509–517. https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(78)90072-5
Matsuno A, Iga T (1989) Ultrastructural observations of motile iridophores from the freshwater goby, Odontobutis obscura. Pigment Cell Res 2:431–438. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.1989.tb00233.x
McCord CP, Allen FP (1917) Evidences associating pineal gland function with alterations in pigmentation. J Exp Zool 23:207–224. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1400230108
McNamara ME, Rossi V, Slater TS, Rogers CS, Ducrest A-L, Dubey S, Roulin A (2021) Decoding the evolution of melanin in vertebrates. Trends Ecol Evol 36:430–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.12.012
Mira E (1962) Prime osservazioni sull’attivata della melatonina sui cromatofori di Scardinius erythrophthalmus L. (1st observations on the effect of melatonin on the chromatophores of Scardinius erythrophthalmus L.). Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther 138:41–50
Miyashita Y, Kumazawa T, Fujii R (1984) Receptor mechanisms in fish chromatophores–VI. Adenosine receptors mediate pigment dispersion in guppy and catfish melanophores. Comp Biochem Physiol C 77:205–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(84)90003-3
Mori W, Lerner AB (1960) A microscopic bioassay for melatonin. Endocrinology. 67:443–450. https://doi.org/10.1210/endo-67-4-443
Mubashshir M, Ahmed F, Acharya LSK, Sumoona S, Hajare S, Ovais M (2011) Effects of melatonin on the isolated scale melanophores of an Indian major carp Labeo rohita (Ham.). Global J Pharmacol 5:122–129
Mubashshir M, Ahmad N, Sköld HN, Ovais M (2023) An exclusive review of melatonin effects on mammalian melanocytes and melanoma. Exp Dermatol 32:324–330. https://doi.org/10.1111/exd.14715
Nagaishi H, Oshima N (1989) Neural control of motile activity of light-sensitive iridophores in the neon tetra. Pigment Cell Res 2:485–492. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.1989.tb00243.x
Naora H, Iga T (1989) Light response of cultured melanophores of a freshwater teleost, Zacco temmincki. Cell Struct Funct 14:113–120. https://doi.org/10.1247/csf.14.113
Nayudu PL, Hunter CR (1979) Cytological aspects and differential response to melatonin of melanophore based colour mutants in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Copeia 1979:232–242. https://doi.org/10.2307/1443408
Nery LE, Castrucci AM (1997) Pigment cell signalling for physiological color change. Comp Biochem Physiol A Physiol 118:1135–1144. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0300-9629(97)00045-5
Nishi H, Fujii R (1992) Novel receptors for melatonin that mediate pigment dispersion are present in some melanophores of the pencil fish (Nannostomus). Comp Biochem Physiol C Comp Pharmacol 103:263–268. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(92)90005-R
Nosjean O, Ferro M, Coge F, Beauverger P, Henlin JM, Lefoulon F, Fauchere JL, Delagrange P, Canet E, Boutin JA (2000) Identification of the melatonin-binding site MT3 as the quinone reductase 2. J Biol Chem 275:31311–31317. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M005141200
Obika M, Turner WA Jr, Negishi S, Menter DG, Tchen TT, Taylor JD (1978) The effects of lumicolchicine, colchicine and vinblastine on pigment migration in fish chromatophores. J Exp Zool 205:95–109. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402050112
Ohta T (1975) Melatonin action on fish melanophores. Bull Aichi Univ Educ 24:145–152
Ohta T (1976) Action of melatonin on fish chromatophores. Zool Mag Tokyo 85:402
Omar SH, Nabi S (2010) Melatonin, receptors, mechanism, and uses. Syst Rev Pharm 1:158–171
Oshima N, Kasukawa H, Fujii R, Wilkes BC, Hruby VJ, Castrucci AM, Hadley ME (1985) Melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) effects on teleost (Chrysiptera cyanea) melanophores. J Exp Zool 235:175–180. https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402350203
Oshima N, Kasukawa H, Fujii R, Wilkes BC, Hruby VJ, Hadley ME (1986) Action of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) on teleost chromatophores. Gen Comp Endocrinol 64:381–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-6480(86)90072-9
Oshima N, Kasukawa H, Fujii R (1989) Control of chromatophore movements in the blue-green damselfish, Chromis viridis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Comp Pharmacol 93:239–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(89)90227-2
Ovais M, Ahmed F, Mubashshir M, Sumoona S (2014) Prostanoids-induced dispersion in the melanophores of a carp Labeo rohita (Ham.). Fish Physiol Biochem 40:75–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-013-9825-3
Ovais M, Srivastava SK, Sumoona S, Mubashshir M (2015) Evidence for the presence of novel β-melatonin receptors along with classical α-melatonin receptors in the fish Rasbora daniconius (Ham.). J Recept Signal Transduct 35:238–248. https://doi.org/10.3109/10799893.2014.951896
Patil S (2004) Effects of melatonin on the melanophores of fish, Labeo rohita (Ham.). In: Kumar A (ed) Fishery management. APH Pub., N. Delhi, Ch 3, pp 53–58
Pintor J, Peláez T, Hoyle CHV, Peral A (2003) Ocular hypotensive effects of melatonin receptor agonists in the rabbit: further evidence for an MT3 receptor. Br J Pharmacol 138:831–836. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjp.0705118
Pradhan RK, Biswas J (1994) Towards regressive evolution: the periodic colour change behaviour of a troglophilic fish Nemacheilus evezardi (Day). Int J Speleol 23:191–201. https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.23.3.5
Prota G (1980) Recent advances in the chemistry of melanogenesis in mammals. J Invest Dermatol 75:122–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/1523-1747.ep12521344
Reed BL (1968) The control of circadian pigment changes in the pencil fish: a proposed role for melatonin. Life Sci 7:961–973. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(68)90173-2
Reed BL, Finnin BC, Ruffin NE (1969) The effects of melatonin and epinephrine on the melanophores of fresh water teleost. Life Sci 8:113–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(69)90070-8
Reiter RJ (2004) Mechanisms of cancer inhibition by melatonin. J Pineal Res 37:213–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.2004.00165.x
Reiter RJ, Tan DX, Mayo JC, Sainz RM, Leon J, Czarnocki Z (2003) Melatonin as an antioxidant: biochemical mechanisms and pathophysiological implications in humans. Acta Biochim Pol 50:1129–1146. https://doi.org/10.18388/abp.2003_3637
Rodionov VI, Gyoeva FK, Gelfand VI (1991) Kinesin is responsible for centrifugal movement of pigment granules in melanophores. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:4956–4960. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.88.11.4956
Rogers SL, Gelfand VI (1998) Myosin cooperates with microtubule motors during organelle transport in melanophores. Curr Biol 8:161–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-9822(98)70063-6
Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, López-Olmeda JF, Vera LM, Migaud H, López-Patiño MA, Míguez JM (2019) Environmental cycles, melatonin, and circadian control of stress response in fish. Front Endocrinol (lausanne) 10:279. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00279
Satake N (1980) Effect of methionine-enkephalin on xanthophore aggregation. Peptides 1:73–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/0196-9781(80)90039-X
Scott GT (1965) Physiology and pharmacology of color change in the sand flounder Scopthalamus aquosus. Limno Oceanogr 10:R230–R246. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1965.10.suppl2.r230
Shah KA, Mubashshir M, Sumoona S, Sheikh IA, Ayajuddin Ovais M (2014) Melatonin induced pigment translocations in Channa punctatus (Ham.) melanophores may be mediated through specific receptors. Pharmacologia 5:241–246. https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pharmacologia.2014.241.246
Sheikh IA, Ovais M (2007) An analysis of melatonin induced aggregatory responses of the isolated scale melanophores of an air breathing fish Channa gachua (Ham.). J Cell Tissue Res 7:1195–1201
Singh S, Allen T, Srivastava A (2015) Ethotoxicological role of melatonin as an anti-stressor agent in heavy metal intoxicated fish Channa punctatus. Proc Zool Soc 68:139–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-014-0107-6
Sköld HN, Amundsen T, Svensson PA, Mayer I, Bjelvenmark J, Forsgren E (2008) Hormonal regulation of female nuptial coloration in a fish. Horm Behav 54:549–556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.05.018
Sköld HN, Svensson PA, Zejlon C (2010) The capacity for internal colour change is related to body transparency in fishes. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 23:292–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-148X.2010.00674.x
Sköld HN, Aspengren S, Wallin M (2013) Rapid color change in fish and amphibians – function, regulation, and emerging applications. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 26:29–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcmr.12040
Sköld HN, Aspengren S, Cheney KL, Wallin M (2016) Fish chromatophores—from molecular motors to animal behavior. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol 321:171–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ircmb.2015.09.005
Slominski RM, Reiter RJ, Schlabritz-Loutsevitch N, Ostrom RS, Slominskim AT (2012) Melatonin membrane receptors in peripheral tissues: distribution and functions. Mol Cell Endocrinol 351:152–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2012.01.004
Slominski AT, Hardeland R, Zmijewski MA, Slominski RM, Reiter RJ, Paus R (2018) Melatonin: a cutaneous perspective on its production, metabolism, and functions. J Invest Dermatol 138:490–499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2017.10.025
Sparwasser K (1987) The influence of metoclopramide and melatonin on activity and schooling behaviour in Chromis viridis (CUVIER, 1830; Pomacentridae, Teleostei). Mar Ecol 8:297–312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0485.1987.tb00190.x
Sripathi SR, Prigge CL, Elledge B, He W, Offor J, Gutsaeva DR, Jahng WJ (2017) Melatonin modulates prohibitin and cytoskeleton in the retinal pigment epithelium. Int J Sci Eng Res 8:502–506. https://doi.org/10.14299/ijser.2017.07.001
Sugden D (1991) Aggregation of pigment granules in single cultured Xenopus laevis melanophores by melatonin analogues. Br J Pharmacol 104:922–927. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1476-5381.1991.tb12527.x
Sugden D (1992) Effect of putative melatonin antagonists on melatonin-induced pigment aggregation in isolated Xenopus laevis melanophores. Eur J Pharmacol 213:405–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2999(92)90629-I
Sugden D, Pickering H, Teh M-T, Garratt PJ (1997) Melatonin receptor pharmacology: toward subtype specificity. Biol Cell 89:531–537. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0248-4900(98)80009-9
Sugimoto M (2002) Morphological color changes in fish: regulation of pigment cell density and morphology. Microsc Res Tech 58:496–503. https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.10168
Sugimoto M, Oshima N, Fujii R (1985) Mechanisms controlling motile responses of amelanotic melanophores in the medaka, Oryzias latipes. Zool Sci 2:317–322. https://doi.org/10.34425/zs000133
Takabatake I, Matsuura M, Iga T (1986) Seasonal variation in sensitivity of fish melanophores to melatonin. Zool Sci 3:379–381
Telzer BR, Haimo LT (2001) Chromatophores as tools for the study of organelle transport. In: Gavin RH (ed) Cytoskeleton methods and protocols. Sr: methods in molecular biology, vol 161, issue 5, Ch 16. Humana Press, pp 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-051-9:201
Tuma MC, Gelfand VI (1999) Molecular mechanisms of pigment transport in melanophores. Pigment Cell Res 12:283–294. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0749.1999.tb00762.x
Vanecek J (1998) Cellular mechanisms of melatonin action. Physiol Rev 78:687–721. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.1998.78.3.687
Visconti MA, Castrucci AMDL (1993) Melanotropin receptors in the cartilaginous fish, Potamotrygon reticulatus and in the lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa. Comp Biochem Physiol C: Comp Pharmacol Toxicol 106:523–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-8413(93)90173-I
Volpato GL, Luchiari AC, Duarte CRA, Barreto RE, Ramanzini GC (2003) Eye color as an indicator of social rank in the fish Nile tilapia. Braz J Med Biol Res 36:1659–1663. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-879X2003001200007
von Frisch K (1911) Beitrage zur physiologie der pigmentzellen in der fischhaut. Pflueger Arch Ges Physiol 138:319–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01680752
Walton JC, Weil ZM, Nelson RJ (2011) Influence of photoperiod on hormones, behavior, and immune function. Front Neuroendocrinol 32:303–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.12.003
Waring H (1948) Animal colour changes and their neurohumours. Nature 162:84–85. https://doi.org/10.1038/162084a0
Wyman LC (1924) The reactions of the melanophores of embryonic and larval Fundulus to certain chemical substances. J Exp Zool 40:161–181
Yang Y, Dugas MB, Sudekum HJ, Murphy SN, Richards-Zawacki CL (2018) Male-male aggression is unlikely to stabilize a poison frog polymorphism. J Evol Biol 31:457–468. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13243
Young JZ (1935) The photoreceptors of lampreys II. The functions of the pineal complex. J Exp Biol 12:254–270. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.12.3.254
Zhao D, Yu Y, Shen Y, Liu Q, Zhao Z, Sharma R, Reiter RJ (2019) Melatonin synthesis and function: evolutionary history in animals and plants. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 10:249. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00249
Funding
The authors are grateful to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) for providing research fundings to M. Mubashshir.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Preparation of draft was done by Dr M Mubashshir. He was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. Dr HN Skold has carefully improved the citations and nature of presenting the facts in this review. Compilation of the pieces of literature was together done by Dr T Negi and Ms RB Sharma. The final draft was cross examined by Prof Ovais and Dr Nabeel Ahmad. All the authors have read and approved the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical approval
Not required, as this is totally a review article. Authors’ consent to participate and publish had already been obtained in advance.
Competing interests
The authors declare none.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Mubashshir, M., Ahmad, N., Negi, T. et al. Exploring the mechanisms and impacts of melatonin on fish colouration. Fish Physiol Biochem 49, 1511–1525 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-023-01271-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-023-01271-9