These peculiarly colored pet geckos originally still hide secrets related to human cancer

The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a petite, cute-looking gecko, and has the advantages of gentle temperament and low breeding difficulty, making it the most popular pet among reptiles

The most attractive part of the leopard gecko is their peculiar body color

▲Leopard geckos in various colors, the one in the upper left corner is the primary color (picture source: reference [1]; Credit: L.

The gorgeous leopard-print gecko not only attracts pet players, but also some biological scientists

However, Professor Kruglyak knows very well that it is not easy to explore the genes behind the leopard gecko body color

Scientists motivated by curiosity found a collaborator, Mr.

It is not an exaggeration to say that he is fanatical

The color of this pair of leopard geckos is different from what Mr.

▲Lemon Frost Leopard Gecko, Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Therefore, Mr.

▲80% of lemon cream individuals will develop tumors (picture source: reference [1])

The scientists accepted the suggestion

They collected DNA from the tails or inner cheeks of 500 leopard geckos, including dozens of descendants of Mr.

The researchers finally cracked the genetic code of lemon frost

The SPINT1 gene has been found to be related to cancer

Like tropical fish and chameleons, the brilliant colors of leopard geckos come from iris cells
.
Iris cells produce colors through crystals.
The shape and structure of these crystals affect the way they refract and reflect light, resulting in various colors
.
In the iris cells of the leopard gecko, the crystals are arranged to produce a white color
.
When the iris cells and their crystals are overproduced, the overall background appears whiter and the yellow animal looks brighter, but it may also lead to the development of skin tumors
.

▲In the skin tumors of individuals with lemon cream, there are more reflective crystals in the iris cells (left); in contrast, in the skin of individuals with primary colors, the density of iris cells is smaller and there are fewer crystals (picture source: References [ 1])

Recently, the results of this research were published in the academic journal PLOS Genetics
.

Knowing this result, Mr.
Sykes said that he has stopped breeding lemon cream individuals.
"My goal is to breed beautiful, perfect and healthy leopard geckos.
It seems that it is impossible to combine the lemon cream gene with the tumor.
The phenotype is separated
.
"

And the research of scientists has not stopped
.
At first it was just out of curiosity about the peculiar colors of the leopard gecko, and finally they were taken in an unexpected direction
.
The findings of this study may open up new ways to study human melanoma
.
For example, how SPINT1 mutation affects the formation of melanoma remains an unsolved mystery, and new discoveries in iris cells may reveal important molecular pathways
.

Note: The original text has been deleted

Reference materials:

[1] Longhua Guo et al.
, (2021) Genetics of white color and iridophoroma in “Lemon Frost” leopard geckos.
Plos GeneticsDoi: https://doi.
org/10.
1371/journal.
pgen.
1009580

[2] Leopard gecko skin tumors traced tocancer gene.
Retrieved June 28, 2021 from https:// What is the relationship between the gecko called "Trump Albino" and Trump? Retrieved June 29, 2021 from https://mp.
weixin.
qq.
com/s/pWaAvoMnjoei01uWhE5z3w