An Intracellular Antioxidant Determines the Expression of a Melanin-Based Signal in a Bird 英文参考文献.docVIP

AnIntracellularAntioxidantDeterminestheExpression ofaMelanin-BasedSignalinaBird IsmaelGalva′n1*,CarlosAlonso-Alvarez2* 1DepartmentofEvolutionaryEcologyoftheMuseoNacionaldeCienciasNaturales(CSIC)inMadrid,Madrid,Spain,2InstitutodeInvestigacio′nenRecursosCinege′ticos, IREC(CSIC,UCLM,JCCM)inCiudadReal,CiudadReal,Spain Abstract To understand how traits used in animal communication evolved and are maintained as honest signals, we need to understandthemechanismsthatpreventcheating.Ithasbeenproposedthathonestsignalingisguaranteedbythecosts associatedwiththesignalexpression.However,thenatureofthesecostsisstillunderdebate.Melanin-basedsignalsare intriguingbecausetheirexpressionseemstobetightlycontrolledbygenesandtheresourceinvolved(i.e.melanin)seems to be not limited. However, in vertebrates, low levels of a key intracellular antioxidant (i.e. glutathione) are needed to promote melanogenesis. We propose that melanin-based ornaments can signal the ability to cope with oxidative stress becausethoseindividualswithlowenoughlevelsofglutathione,suchasthoserequiredformelaninproduction,should manage well the whole of the antioxidant machinery in order to maintain a certain oxidative status. We analysed the expression of a melanin-based signal: the well-known black stripe of the great tit (Parus major). Great tit nestlings were injected with a specific inhibitor of glutathione production (DL-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine; BSO) throughout their development.BSOeffectivelydecreasedintracellularglutathionelevelswithoutapparentsideeffectsongrowthorbody condition. Instead, treated nestlings developed black breast stripes 70–100% larger than controls. Moreover, treated nestlingsalsocompensatedthedecreaseinglutathionelevelsbyincreasingthelevelsofcirculatingantioxidants.Results indicatethatmelanin-basedsignalscanbeatleastpartiallypermeabletoenvironmentalinfluencessuchasthoseassociated to oxidative stress. They also reveal a potential handicap associated to the expression of this kind of signal