Prasinohaema prehensicauda a green-blooded lizard with high concentrations of biliverdin or a toxic green bile pigment found in New Guinea is seen in this image released
A pair of LSU scientists has found the biological cause of unusual, lime-green blood found in several species of New Guinea lizards could unlock cures for malaria and jaundice in humans, according to an LSU news release.
"In addition to having the highest concentration of biliverdin recorded for any animal, these lizards have somehow evolved a resistance to bile pigment toxicity", Zachary Rodriguez, a biologist from Louisiana State University (LSU), said in a statement. But in a new Science Advances study, a team of biologists reveal that they've uncovered the evolutionary history of the skinks' green blood, which may offer some clues into how we can use it too. The excess of green bile pigment essentially eclipses the normal ruddy hue of their red blood cells.
Prasinohaema virens, a green-blooded skinkCHRISTOPHER AUSTINTo find out how the trait arose in lizards, Austin and his colleagues examined the genomes of 51 species of skinks, including six with green blood. The muscles, bones and tongues of these lizards appear bright, lime-green due to high levels of biliverdin, or a green bile pigment, which is toxic and causes jaundice.
But how did these lizards evolve to have all this green bile - which is usually toxic at high concentrations - in their systems? The green blood emerged in some of the lizards independently which means that the green blood might have come with an adaptive value. Several fish, frog and insect species also are green-blooded.
The substance found in the lizards blood is toxic for humans. However, even though animals in the Prasinohaema genus have levels of biliverdin that are 40 times greater than the lethal concentration in humans, the skinks are surprisingly healthy, the researchers said.
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Researchers in the study believe that understanding the physiological changes that have let the skinks be jaundice-free could lead to a better understanding of health problems caused by biliverdin.
"Oh, these animals are gorgeous, truly some of the most lovely and enigmatic lizards in the world, living on one of the most mega-diverse islands on the planet", Austin said. But these lizard species don't look alike and have different lifestyles, with some laying eggs and others giving birth to live young.
If the green blood is protective against malaria, it's not perfectly so, because they've found a malarial parasite living inside a green-blooded lizard, says Perkins.
"Our next goal is to identify the genes responsible for green blood", Rodriguez said. Previous studies have shown that bile pigment can act as an antioxidant scavenging free radicals as well as preventing disease during in vitro fertilization. Multiple origins of green blood in New Guinea lizards. Having elevated levels of bile pigments was a positive advantage for those animals now scientists are trying to see how the green blood may help the skinks.
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