Losey Lab Research: Coping with UV

Following our discovery of UV-absorbing compounds in fish mucus, we began to hold fishes under controlled UV regimes, in tanks made of either UV-transparent (UV+) or UV-opaque (UV-) plexiglass. Thalassoma duperrey, the Hawaiian saddleback wrasse, showed the ability to change the UV-absorbing qualities of its mucus according to exposure. Furthermore, the diet the fish is fed determines whether the fish is able to "put on sunscreen". The UV-absorbing compounds in the mucus (sunscreening compounds called MAAs) are sequestered from the diet! Fish fed an experimental diet with the addition of sunscreening compounds (MAA+) were able to put these compounds into their mucus when exposed to UV, but fish denied sunscreens in the experimental diet (MAA-) could not put sunscreen in the mucus.

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