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The actin cytoskeleton plays multiple roles in structural colour formation in butterfly wing scales

Author

Listed:
  • Victoria J. Lloyd

    (Western bank)

  • Stephanie L. Burg

    (Hounsfield Road)

  • Jana Harizanova

    (Harwell Campus
    University of Copenhagen)

  • Esther Garcia

    (Harwell Campus)

  • Olivia Hill

    (Hounsfield Road)

  • Juan Enciso-Romero

    (Western bank
    4401 University Drive)

  • Rory L. Cooper

    (Western bank
    Sciences III)

  • Silja Flenner

    (Max-Planck-Strasse 1)

  • Elena Longo

    (Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A.)

  • Imke Greving

    (Max-Planck-Strasse 1)

  • Nicola J. Nadeau

    (Western bank)

  • Andrew J. Parnell

    (Hounsfield Road)

Abstract

Vivid structural colours in butterflies are caused by photonic nanostructures scattering light. Structural colours evolved for numerous biological signalling functions and have important technological applications. Optically, such structures are well understood, however insight into their development in vivo remains scarce. We show that actin is intimately involved in structural colour formation in butterfly wing scales. Using comparisons between iridescent (structurally coloured) and non-iridescent scales in adult and developing H. sara, we show that iridescent scales have more densely packed actin bundles leading to an increased density of reflective ridges. Super-resolution microscopy across three distantly related butterfly species reveals that actin is repeatedly re-arranged during scale development and crucially when the optical nanostructures are forming. Furthermore, actin perturbation experiments at these later developmental stages resulted in near total loss of structural colour in H. sara. Overall, this shows that actin plays a vital and direct templating role during structural colour formation in butterfly scales, providing ridge patterning mechanisms that are likely universal across lepidoptera.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria J. Lloyd & Stephanie L. Burg & Jana Harizanova & Esther Garcia & Olivia Hill & Juan Enciso-Romero & Rory L. Cooper & Silja Flenner & Elena Longo & Imke Greving & Nicola J. Nadeau & Andrew J. , 2024. "The actin cytoskeleton plays multiple roles in structural colour formation in butterfly wing scales," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-48060-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48060-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bates, Douglas & Mächler, Martin & Bolker, Ben & Walker, Steve, 2015. "Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 67(i01).
    2. Alison Sweeney & Christopher Jiggins & Sönke Johnsen, 2003. "Polarized light as a butterfly mating signal," Nature, Nature, vol. 423(6935), pages 31-32, May.
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