Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34403644›Full record

ArticleBiology letters2021

Pterin-based pigmentation in animals.

Pedro Andrade, Miguel Carneiro

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Biology letters, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Beyond the Classics: The Synergy of AI and Genomics Reveals an Expanded Repertoire of Pigmentation Genes.Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Guiding covalent catalysis enables a carbon-inserting rearrangement in molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
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  6. Cell type diversification and phenotype convergence underlying white fin-ornamentation of cyprinid fishes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
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  14. An endosymbiotic origin of the crimson pigment from the lac insect.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
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  16. Article
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  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Hymenoptera and biomimetic surfaces: insights and innovations.Beilstein journal of nanotechnology · 2024
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Pedro AndradeCIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.
Miguel CarneiroCIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.
Universidade do Porto · PT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pterins are one of the major sources of bright coloration in animals. They are produced endogenously, participate in vital physiological processes and serve a variety of signalling functions. Despite their ubiquity in nature, pterin-based pigmentation has received little attention when compared to other major pigment classes. Here, we summarize major aspects relating to pterin pigmentation in animals, from its long history of research to recent genomic studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying its evolution. We argue that pterins have intermediate characteristics (endogenously produced, typically bright) between two well-studied pigment types, melanins (endogenously produced, typically cryptic) and carotenoids (dietary uptake, typically bright), providing unique opportunities to address general questions about the biology of coloration, from the mechanisms that determine how different types of pigmentation evolve to discussions on honest signalling hypotheses. Crucial gaps persist in our knowledge on the molecular basis underlying the production and deposition of pterins. We thus highlight the need for functional studies on systems amenable for laboratory manipulation, but also on systems that exhibit natural variation in pterin pigmentation. The wealth of potential model species, coupled with recent technological and analytical advances, make this a promising time to advance research on pterin-based pigmentation in animals.

Indexed as

PigmentationPterinsAnimalsCarotenoidsCarotenoidsPterinsanimal colorationaposematismornamentationpleiotropysexual selectionvisual signalling

Identifiers

PMID34403644
PMCPMC8370806
OpenAlexW3194197623

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.