Melanin in African lovebirds Often, we hear the term melanin or Eumelanin when reading journals or articles related to genetic mutations. Lovebirds, some people ignore or do not care too much about it.
Because you might think this is too basic or melanin is less interesting to learn. This is important when we start breeding African lovebirds.
This article will explain how melanin pigment works and its effect on lovebird
fur. When it is lost, melanin, melanin reduction, and part melanin.
I
also include any mutations belonging to the melanin mutation group and explain how to work melanin to form a modification.
Melanin
Melanin is a dark pigment (Black, Brown, Ash, and a mixture of all three
colors).
Melanin is divided into Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin Eumelanin. Eumelanin is melanin that gives a dark effect/shadow.
To better understand how the colors are shown, we must look further into the stem/bone of the feather. If the fur is cut transversely, the structure will look like in the picture.
1. Cortex:
The outermost circle consisting of psittacine pigment.2. Spongy Zone:
Middle layer. This part combines with light, causing the fur to appear blue and violet.3. Medulla:
The core/ center, containing all the pigments of black and brown melanin, is surrounded by a small vacuole hole.
Melanocytes or Pigment Cells are cells in the skin of birds responsible for
producing Eumelanin and/or Phaeomelanin.
In melanocytes or pigment
cells, more precisely in the endoplasmatic reticulum, a matrix (material) of
pigments is \. The colored Protein Matrix consists of at least 4 different
proteins.
Changing the matrix into colored pigment cells occurs through a chemical
reaction catalyzed by certain enzymes. Enzymes are substances that have a
specific task and, in this case, should activate a chemical reaction that will
give a matrix of black color (pigment synthesis).
Mes that play an
essential role in finishing the manufacture of Pigment are in completing the
manufacture of Pigment called Tyrosinase. During chemical reactions, there are
2 possible results:
Eumelanin
The black eumelanin granules will be produced when the process goes as it
should.
With the help of the enzyme myosin, black eumelanin
granules will be channeled to all parts of the bars through the dendrites.
Phaeomelanin
If, during the process of transitioning the enzyme system to dopaquinone
(Influenced by reactions from outside melanocytes (from fur follicles) in the
form of the addition of cysteine enzymes), then Phaeomelanin will be
produced.
In birds, the enzyme tyrosinase consists of 529 different amino
acids. Each amino acid consists of a turnover of 3 other bases. Therefore, 529 x 3 = 1,587 different floors are responsible for the
complete process.
A complicated system also means that errors can
occur when the DNA duplicates itself during the cell multiplication
process.
When something goes wrong on one of these buses during the
manufacture of Black Eumelanin with the help of the enzyme tyrosinase, the
error on one of these bases caused by the activity of Tyrosinase will deviate
from the average. Consequently, there is a deviation from the quality of the
Eumelanin that is being produced.
In addition to the above
possibilities, the base during the manufacture of Black Eumelanin
formed perfectly with no defects. Still, deviations occurred during the
process of "transportation" by the enzyme myosin, thus causing a disruption of
the method of depositing/dispensing Black Eumelanin to barbs.
So,
as a result, barbs with each other have an uneven content of Black Eumelanin,
so a mutation appears.
Mutations in Eumelanin are divided into four main categories:
Albinism or qualitative reduction
Albino (from Latin albus, meaning white), called hypomelanosis or
hypomelanosis, is a hypo pigmentary congenital disorder. A distinctive feature
is the loss of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin, and hair/hair (or less often
only in the eyes).
Albinos arise from a combination of recessive
genes. Albino features abnormally yellow, milky white, or pale white and has
pink or blue irises with red pupils.
The most famous, the first type we think of when discussing eumelanin
mutations, is the Ino-form. With Agapornis, we have several forms-Ino: 1.
Sex-Linked Albinism (SL INO), 2. Recessive Albinism (NSL INO, or Non-Sex
Linked INO) 3. Fallows
In Recessive Albinism, there is virtually no
pigment-making. This causes the production of the colorless matrix, which
happens. In fact, this matrix is empty, so it seems colorless, and then this
empty matrix is sent tubular. This event is called "Tyrosinease Negative.
Albinism" (TYR-neg).
This process also occurs in lovebirds with
Bronze Fallow color (fallow type 1), but not precisely in the case of
"Negative Albinism Tyrosinease" (TYR-neg). In this case, the activity of the
hormone Tyrosinase is reduced only partially, resulting in low-quality
color.
In Sex-Linked Albinism, we find an arguably flawed and very imperfect matrix. Hormone tyrosinase activity usually went in the case of Inos
SL. There was 2.5 times higher tyrosinase activity than birds in nature. The
case of Sex-Linked Albinism has a too-small matrix, so no effect is caused.
This case is known as "Positive Tyrosine Albinism (TYR-Pos)."
So, there
are 2 cases of melanosome matrix produced. · In NSL, these matrices are
produced in normal quantities but are colorless or almost entirely
colorless. · In SL, the inos matrix is black but seriously flawed, too small,
and too little. So the fur is not "empty," but there is a colored matrix,
small and/or defects present in the fur. Invisible (to our eyes) is the
production of Eumelanin, the most extreme form of albinism. However, under an
electron microscope, we can see its presence.
Albinistic genes are
recessive and can cause colors to color brighter on many levels. Pure albino
is the absence of a dark color, all due to the lack of melanin pigments.
The
most apparent examples of albinistic colors are Lovebird Lutino (Lovebird Green series) and Lovebird Albino (Lovebird Blue series).
In Pale
Fallow (fallow type 2), we also see a decrease in matrix quality. This results
in a reduction in the rate.of eumelanin pigments.
Although some of these mutations have dark eyes in adulthood, they all show
reduced eye color at hatching.
In other words, the bird will lose
Eumelanin in the eyes, skin, legs, toes, beaks, hooves, and feathers.
Although some of these mutations have black eyes in
adulthood, the bird will still show a reduced eye color (not full black but
red spots) at the time of hatching. Over time, the color of red marks will be
invisible.
Pigment dilution or quantitative reduction
Dilute can be translated literally as liquid, so it's as if the lovebird's
color is melting from its original color.
Changes occur in
melanin pigments and only affect the color of the colors. Dilution causes the
color of the fur to be younger because the term "Dilute" means more diluted,
melted, or melted.
It is easier to understand with the allegory of one glass of black ink added to
2 glasses of water so that the color black is no longer black.
Cases
of quantitative reduction of Eumelanin caused damage to the distribution
(transport) of Eumelanin. Disruption of eumelanin distribution is caused by
typical dendrites and myosin.
All customarily formed eumelanin
granules are not all feathered for several reasons. This, for example, occurs in
Edged and Dilute birds. One of the reasons is an error during the transport of
Eumelanin (Normal) granules. This causes dilute-coloured birds.
In the case of dilute eumelanin pigment distribution to the body, tissues usually take place, but there is a disorder in the distribution process to fur. The disease is the sticking of some eumelanin granules so that they merge further. The unification of some eumelanin granules is called "macro melanosomes."
Leucism
Leucism is a pigment change that causes a lack of both full and partial dark color. Leucism can affect all pigments (and this fact also separates them from albinism).
Leucism can partially affect certain places, causing the appearance of (pied) color in lovebirds.
Leucism is a damaging event or loss of melanoblasts that form at the top of the nerve, resulting in melanocytes almost wholly missing in the feathers.
Pigments can't be deposited when melanocytes are absent in the fur section. So, Leucism is not caused by errors in the inactive city in the enzyme tyrosinase or deposits of black Eumelanin.
In Recessive Lovebird Pied, there is a defect in the distribution of pigment cells from nerve peaks, where melanoblasts originate.
As a result, too little or no melanocytes arrive on the skin. The enzyme myosins can function normally, but if there are too few or no melanocytes.
Certain skin parts in the Dominant Pied Bird change genetically, so melanocytes cannot survive or even die.
Here, we can see that there is absolutely no matrix stored in the fur in the area of the fur (pied).
This event is called amelanotic (Pigment less). The amelanotic (Pigment less) area is properly "empty," so no colored melanosome matrix can be found.
Changes in melanin pigments cause melanin to increase. Melanism affects only the
plume and is the opposite of dilute (Dilution).
In dilute, melanin is
reduced. In melanism, the number of melanin increases. In practice, we can see
this in Euwing-type lovebirds (Eumelanin on the wing increases so that the wings
appear darker).
Conclusion From some explanations above, in
principle, there are three types of disruptions in the process of eumelanin
deposit so that the process of eumelanin transposase is interrupted.
The
Gagguan includes Metabolic disorders resulting from the production of Eumelanin
in cases of albinism. Disruption of transport of eumelanin granules to the
feather shaft leads to Dilution of Pigment (pigment dilution).
Disruption
of the cell transport mechanism is responsible for the production of Eumelanin
in Leucism. Nowadays, everything is so clear that many cases or events are only
related to the show and storage of Eumelanin. Eumelanin and Phaeomelanin are two
completely different things.
As you can see in the chemical chains,
there are significant differences between phaeomelanin and eumelanin
production.
Here's the difference between Phaeomelanin and Eumelanin:
Eumelanin
- Colored matrices are formed in the endoplasmatic
reticulum of the melanocyte.
- Then, the enzyme tyrosinase runs pigment
synthesis. Avian tyrosine is composed of 529 amino acids (1587 bases).
-
There is no transition. The synthesis of pigments that make up the
black Eumelanin. Granules are round, oval, rectangular, or even
needle-shaped.
- Eumelanin is bleached with direct sunlight.
-
Eumelanin cannot be dissolved in alkaline liquids. Phaeomelanin - Colored
matrices are formed in the endoplasmatic reticulum of the melanocyte.
-
Then, the enzyme tyrosinase runs pigment synthesis. Avian tyrosine is composed
of 529 amino acids (1587 bases).
- The genetic signals that govern the
transition (in poultry and finches) come from outside the melanocyte (follicle
feathers).
- Phaeomelanin is formed in red-brown color and acolourorphous
shape.
- Phaeomelanins do not bleach in direct sunlight.
-
Phaeomelanin can be dissolved in alkaline liquids.