Cooper Cynthia D, Raible David W
Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2009 Feb;20(1):105-10. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2008.09.008. Epub 2008 Sep 30.
Black pigment cells, or melanocytes, are the major contributing cells to pigmentation in vertebrate organisms. Although the function of these cells is distinct depending on the organism, the events involved in their development are remarkably similar. Here, we review the mechanisms involved in the early development of melanocytes from neural crest, many of which are conserved in organisms as diverse as zebrafish, birds and humans. We also discuss recent studies that provide further insight into how melanocyte differentiation is achieved and maintained.
黑色色素细胞，即黑素细胞，是脊椎动物机体色素沉着的主要贡献细胞。尽管这些细胞的功能因生物体而异，但其发育过程中涉及的事件却非常相似。在这里，我们综述了黑素细胞从神经嵴开始早期发育所涉及的机制，其中许多机制在斑马鱼、鸟类和人类等多种生物体中是保守的。我们还讨论了最近的研究，这些研究为黑素细胞的分化如何实现和维持提供了进一步的见解。
