Abstract 2924 Cellular Assembly and Dynamics of Cephalopod Reflectins

Iridescent color change in cephalopods is a fascinating phenomenon driven by specialized skin cells called iridocytes. These cells contain nanostructures made of reflectin proteins, which are capable in certain squid species, such as Doryteuthis opalescens, of dynamically altering their organization to produce different colors. Reflectins are intrinsically disordered block copolymer proteins that consist of multiple highly conserved domains alternating with lesser conserved cationic linkers. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of certain reflectin subtypes are associated with reflectin assembly and production of iridescence in D.