Access
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
Insight
Nature 445, 843-850 (22 February 2007) | doi:10.1038/nature05660; Published online 21 February 2007
Open Innovation Challenges
-
Novel Approaches to Protecting Maize from Insect Damage
The Seeker is looking for novel approaches to protecting maize from insect damage. This Challenge re...
-
Methods of Modeling Adaptation in Populations
The analysis of adaptation with a population is a frequently encountered computational modeling scen...
- More Challenges
- Powered by:
nature jobs
Account Director -India
- Indegene Lifesystems Pvt. Ltd
- Bengaluru 560 071 India
Gastroenterologist / Nutrition
- Cleveland Clinic Foundation
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Review Article Melanocyte biology and skin pigmentation
Jennifer Y. Lin1,2 & David E. Fisher2
Abstract
Melanocytes are phenotypically prominent but histologically inconspicuous skin cells. They are responsible for the pigmentation of skin and hair, and thereby contribute to the appearance of skin and provide protection from damage by ultraviolet radiation. Pigmentation mutants in various species are highly informative about basic genetic and developmental pathways, and provide important clues to the processes of photoprotection, cancer predisposition and even human evolution. Skin is the most common site of cancer in humans. Continued understanding of melanocyte contributions to skin biology will hopefully provide new opportunities for the prevention and treatment of skin diseases.
To read this story in full you will need to login or make a payment (see right).
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Cancer biology The weakest link?Nature News and Views (07 Jul 2005)
The G-netics of dark skinNature Genetics News and Views (01 Sep 2004)
