Quantitative characterization and comparative study of feather melanosome internal morphology using surface analysis |
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| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;2. School of the Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China;3. Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing 100044, China;4. Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 4W7, Canada;5. Biology Department, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada;6. Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive – Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA;7. Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA;8. Department of Exercise and Health Science, University of Taipei, Taipei 11153, China;9. Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, 19B Yuquan Rd., Beijing 100049, China;10. Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Box 92, Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China |
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| Abstract: | A successful feather development implies in a precise orchestration of cells in the follicle, which culminates in one of the most complex epidermal structures in nature. Melanocytes contribute to the final structure by delivering melanosomes to the barb and barbule cells. Disturbance to the tissue during the feather growth can damage the final structure. Here, melanosomes seen in an unusual outgrowth on the barb cortex of a flight feather are reported and compared to commonly observed melanosomes embedded in the cortex. Transmission Electron Microscopy in scanning-transmission mode (STEM) generated images coupled with secondary electron detection. The two classes of melanosomes were registered on images combining transmitted and secondary electron signals. Image processing allowed surface analyses of roughness and texture of the internal morphology of these organelles. Results showed that the two classes of melanosomes are significantly distinct internally, indicating that different physiological processes up to feather maturation could have occurred. Surface analysis methods are not regularly used in cell biology studies, but here it is shown that it has great potential for microscopic image analysis, which could add robust information to studies of cell biology events. |
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| Keywords: | Transmission Electron Microscopy Surface analysis Morphology Melanosome Storm petrel Feather development |
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