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Figure 7. Expression of mitf mRNA in white pigment cells and melanophores. RNA probes were generated from the sequence encoding either exons 1a–4 or exons 7–9 of Mitf.S (a). Photographs of the wild‐type tail (b–e) and the mutant tail (f–i) at stage 46 are shown. Tadpoles were bleached to remove melanin before hybridization. In the negative control using a sense probe of either mitf 1a–4 or mitf 7–9, no staining was observed in the tails of either the wild type (b, c) or the mutant (f, g). WISH using an antisense probe of mitf 1a–4 (d, h) indicated that staining was observed in melanophores in the wild‐type tail (d, arrowheads) and white pigment cells in the mutant tail (h, arrows). Using an antisense probe of mitf 7–9, staining was also detected in melanophores in the wild‐type tail (e, arrowheads) and white pigment cells in the mutant tail (i, arrows). nc, notochord. sc, spinal cord. Scale bars: 100 μm. |
