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Cell signalling

Red alert about lipid's role in skin cancer

Nature volume 549, pages 337–339 (2017)Cite this article

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Some versions of the MC1R protein are associated with red hair and an increased risk of developing a skin cancer called melanoma. It emerges that a lipid that binds MC1R might provide a target to reduce this risk. See Letter p.399

Red hair has long been a subject of fascination in many cultures, and it is increasingly capturing the attention of scientists. On page 399, Chen et al.1 report work in mouse models and human cells showing that the risk of skin cancer associated with certain versions of a protein connected to red hair can be reduced by increasing the degree to which this protein is modified by a lipid.

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Figure 1: Lipid link to skin cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK

    Ian J. Jackson & E. Elizabeth Patton

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  1. Ian J. Jackson
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  2. E. Elizabeth Patton
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Correspondence to Ian J. Jackson or E. Elizabeth Patton.

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Jackson, I., Patton, E. Red alert about lipid's role in skin cancer. Nature 549, 337–339 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23550

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