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Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot
SIMPLE SUMMARY: Neuromelanin is a dark pigment that is present in several types of neurons of the brain. The role of human neuromelanin is a matter of controversy and, over the past few years, has been attributed to having a dual nature, either in a protective role to shield neurons from toxic compo...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
MDPI
2022
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9610827/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36288139 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100525 |
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author | Sacchini, Simona Fernández, Antonio Mompeó, Blanca Ramírez, Raquel Arbelo, Manuel Holgersen, Unn Quesada-Canales, Oscar Castro-Alonso, Ayoze Andrada, Marisa |
author_facet | Sacchini, Simona Fernández, Antonio Mompeó, Blanca Ramírez, Raquel Arbelo, Manuel Holgersen, Unn Quesada-Canales, Oscar Castro-Alonso, Ayoze Andrada, Marisa |
author_sort | Sacchini, Simona |
collection | PubMed |
description | SIMPLE SUMMARY: Neuromelanin is a dark pigment that is present in several types of neurons of the brain. The role of human neuromelanin is a matter of controversy and, over the past few years, has been attributed to having a dual nature, either in a protective role to shield neurons from toxic compounds, or as a trigger of neuroinflammation. This pigment has been researched mainly in the human brain, but it has also been found in the neurons of monkeys, horses, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, rats, and even in frogs and tadpoles. Even so, neuromelanin in humans and primates presents unique features that are not shown in other animals. A study on the morphology of the locus ceruleus (a key brain structure) of the family Delphinidae highlighted the presence of a large amount of neuromelanin within this brain area. In an attempt to better define the ultrastructure of neuromelanin in toothed whales, two brain specimens of the suborder Odontoceti were investigated. The two toothed whales that were examined presented melanin granules associated with lipid droplets and membranes that bore a striking resemblance with human neuromelanin. Its accumulation takes place over the entire life span, and appears to contain the story of one’s life exposure to several endogenous and environmental metals and/or compounds. ABSTRACT: Neuromelanin (NM) is a dark polymer pigment that is located mostly in the human substantia nigra, and in the locus ceruleus, referred to as “the blue spot”. NM increases linearly with age, and has been described mainly in the human brain; however, it also occurs in the neurons of monkeys, horses, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, rats, and even in frogs. While in most of these mammals NM shows the histochemical and ultrastructural features typical of lipofuscins, human NM is confined within cytoplasmic organelles that are surrounded by a double membrane, suggesting an autophagic origin. In a study on the morphology of the locus ceruleus of the family Delphinidae, the presence of a variable quantity of NM in the interior of locus ceruleus neurons was observed for the first time; meanwhile, nothing is known about its ultrastructure and composition. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated in two toothed whales—an Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis; family Delphinidae) and a Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris; family Ziphiidae)—the presence of melanin granules associated with lipid droplets and membranes that were very similar to that of human NM. The relationship between NM and neuronal vulnerability must be studied in depth, and cetaceans may offer a new natural-spontaneous comparative model for the study of NM and its implication in neurodegenerative diseases. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-9610827 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2022 |
publisher | MDPI |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-96108272022-10-28 Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot Sacchini, Simona Fernández, Antonio Mompeó, Blanca Ramírez, Raquel Arbelo, Manuel Holgersen, Unn Quesada-Canales, Oscar Castro-Alonso, Ayoze Andrada, Marisa Vet Sci Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: Neuromelanin is a dark pigment that is present in several types of neurons of the brain. The role of human neuromelanin is a matter of controversy and, over the past few years, has been attributed to having a dual nature, either in a protective role to shield neurons from toxic compounds, or as a trigger of neuroinflammation. This pigment has been researched mainly in the human brain, but it has also been found in the neurons of monkeys, horses, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, rats, and even in frogs and tadpoles. Even so, neuromelanin in humans and primates presents unique features that are not shown in other animals. A study on the morphology of the locus ceruleus (a key brain structure) of the family Delphinidae highlighted the presence of a large amount of neuromelanin within this brain area. In an attempt to better define the ultrastructure of neuromelanin in toothed whales, two brain specimens of the suborder Odontoceti were investigated. The two toothed whales that were examined presented melanin granules associated with lipid droplets and membranes that bore a striking resemblance with human neuromelanin. Its accumulation takes place over the entire life span, and appears to contain the story of one’s life exposure to several endogenous and environmental metals and/or compounds. ABSTRACT: Neuromelanin (NM) is a dark polymer pigment that is located mostly in the human substantia nigra, and in the locus ceruleus, referred to as “the blue spot”. NM increases linearly with age, and has been described mainly in the human brain; however, it also occurs in the neurons of monkeys, horses, giraffes, cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, rats, and even in frogs. While in most of these mammals NM shows the histochemical and ultrastructural features typical of lipofuscins, human NM is confined within cytoplasmic organelles that are surrounded by a double membrane, suggesting an autophagic origin. In a study on the morphology of the locus ceruleus of the family Delphinidae, the presence of a variable quantity of NM in the interior of locus ceruleus neurons was observed for the first time; meanwhile, nothing is known about its ultrastructure and composition. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated in two toothed whales—an Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis; family Delphinidae) and a Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris; family Ziphiidae)—the presence of melanin granules associated with lipid droplets and membranes that were very similar to that of human NM. The relationship between NM and neuronal vulnerability must be studied in depth, and cetaceans may offer a new natural-spontaneous comparative model for the study of NM and its implication in neurodegenerative diseases. MDPI 2022-09-26 /pmc/articles/PMC9610827/ /pubmed/36288139 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100525 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
spellingShingle | Article Sacchini, Simona Fernández, Antonio Mompeó, Blanca Ramírez, Raquel Arbelo, Manuel Holgersen, Unn Quesada-Canales, Oscar Castro-Alonso, Ayoze Andrada, Marisa Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title | Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title_full | Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title_fullStr | Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title_full_unstemmed | Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title_short | Toothed Whales Have Black Neurons in the Blue Spot |
title_sort | toothed whales have black neurons in the blue spot |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9610827/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36288139 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100525 |
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