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Comment
. 2015 May 12:4:e07961.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.07961.

Shedding light on sunscreen biosynthesis in zebrafish

Carolyn A Brotherton  1 , Emily P Balskus  2
Affiliations
Comment

Shedding light on sunscreen biosynthesis in zebrafish

Carolyn A Brotherton et al. Elife. .

Abstract

Zebrafish can synthesize a sunscreen compound called gadusol, which was previously thought to be acquired only through the diet.

Keywords: 2-epi-5-epi-valiolone synthase; E. coli; S. cerevisiae; biosynthesis; ecology; gadusol; mycosporine; sunscreen; vertebrates; zebrafish.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests:The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Many species produce small molecules that protect them from the sun by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation.
The genome of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) contains a cluster of genes for a set of proteins that can make the sunscreen compound gadusol from sedoheptulose-7-phosphate. Microbes also use this molecule to make sunscreen compounds, but do so via a different pathway. The cluster of genes found in zebrafish is also present in several other vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles and birds.
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