optix regulates abdominal melanin pigmentation in the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta
Martik Chatterjee, Gabriel C Hatto, Christophe Duplais, Jarrod Varnell, Robert A. Raguso, Robert D. Reed
This study disrupts optix in Manduca sexta and finds it regulates abdominal pigmentation, replacing orange with black eumelanin, suggesting optix modulates an alternative pigment pathway.
bioRxiv · Aug 25, 2026 · PreprintGenetics