NDLI: Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins

Content Provider	PubMed Central
Author	Thomas, Daniel B. Mcgoverin, Cushla M. Mcgraw, Kevin J. James, Helen F. Madden, Odile
Copyright Year	2013
Abstract	Many animals extract, synthesize and refine chemicals for colour display, where a range of compounds and structures can produce a diverse colour palette. Feather colours, for example, span the visible spectrum and mostly result from pigments in five chemical classes (carotenoids, melanins, porphyrins, psittacofulvins and metal oxides). However, the pigment that generates the yellow colour of penguin feathers appears to represent a sixth, poorly characterized class of feather pigments. This pigment class, here termed ‘spheniscin’, is displayed by half of the living penguin genera; the larger and richer colour displays of the pigment are highly attractive. Using Raman and mid-infrared spectroscopies, we analysed yellow feathers from two penguin species (king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus; macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus) to further characterize spheniscin pigments. The Raman spectrum of spheniscin is distinct from spectra of other feather pigments and exhibits 17 distinctive spectral bands between 300 and 1700 cm−1. Spectral bands from the yellow pigment are assigned to aromatically bound carbon atoms, and to skeletal modes in an aromatic, heterocyclic ring. It has been suggested that the penguin pigment is a pterin compound; Raman spectra from yellow penguin feathers are broadly consistent with previously reported pterin spectra, although we have not matched it to any known compound. Raman spectroscopy can provide a rapid and non-destructive method for surveying the distribution of different classes of feather pigments in the avian family tree, and for correlating the chemistry of spheniscin with compounds analysed elsewhere. We suggest that the sixth class of feather pigments may have evolved in a stem-lineage penguin and endowed modern penguins with a costly plumage trait that appears to be chemically unique among birds.
Related Links	http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2012.1065
Starting Page	20121065
File Format	PDF
ISSN	17425689
e-ISSN	17425662
Journal	Journal of the Royal Society Interface
Issue Number	83
Volume Number	10
Language	English
Publisher	The Royal Society
Publisher Date	2013-03-20
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	The Royal Society
Subject Keyword	Biotechnology Biophysics Biochemistry Bioengineering Biomaterials Biomedical Engineering Research in Higher Education
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Biochemistry Biomaterials Biophysics Bioengineering Biomedical Engineering Biotechnology

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins

In situ ATR-IR spectroscopic and electron microscopic analyses of settlement secretions of Undaria pinnatifida kelp spores

Development of colour-producing β-keratin nanostructures in avian feather barbs

Spatial analyses of wildlife contact networks

Nanomechanical properties of bird feather rachises: exploring naturally occurring fibre reinforced laminar composites

Beyond robins: aerodynamic analyses of animal flight

Directional reflectance and milli-scale feather morphology of the African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus

Next-generation tools for evolutionary invasion analyses

Concentration dependence of vibrational properties of bioprotectant/water mixtures by inelastic neutron scattering

Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins

Similar Documents

Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins

In situ ATR-IR spectroscopic and electron microscopic analyses of settlement secretions of Undaria pinnatifida kelp spores

Development of colour-producing β-keratin nanostructures in avian feather barbs

Spatial analyses of wildlife contact networks

Nanomechanical properties of bird feather rachises: exploring naturally occurring fibre reinforced laminar composites

Beyond robins: aerodynamic analyses of animal flight

Directional reflectance and milli-scale feather morphology of the African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus

Next-generation tools for evolutionary invasion analyses

Concentration dependence of vibrational properties of bioprotectant/water mixtures by inelastic neutron scattering

Vibrational spectroscopic analyses of unique yellow feather pigments (spheniscins) in penguins