Jimbow K, Salopek T G, Dixon W T, Searles G E, Yamada K
Division of Dermatology & Cutaneous Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Am J Dermatopathol. 1991 Apr;13(2):179-88. doi: 10.1097/00000372-199104000-00013.
The epidermal melanin unit (EMU) denotes the symbiotic relationship between a melanocyte and a pool of associated keratinocytes. We propose to show that alterations in the biology of the EMU are the main determinant of the different patterns of intraepidermal growth of melanocytes in lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM) and superficial spreading melanoma (SSM). They also appear to affect the biosynthesis of melanin and melanosomes during malignant transformation. Findings in histochemical studies with monoclonal antibodies generated against melanosomal proteins to produce different stains of melanocytes of normal skin, dysplastic melanocytic nevi (DMN), common melanocytic nevi (CMN), LMM, and SSM have led to the suggestion that the altered melanosome synthesis is a main phenotype in the pathophysiology in neoplastic transformation of melanocytes. Altered melanin synthesis may also affect the carcinogenesis in malignant melanoma: pheomelanin is increased in malignant melanoma and DMN, but not in normal skin and CMN. Pheomelanin and its precursors could aid the malignant transformation of melanocytes through the generation of mutagenic ultraviolet photoproducts in familial DMN syndrome.
表皮黑素单位（EMU）指的是黑素细胞与一群相关角质形成细胞之间的共生关系。我们拟证明，EMU生物学特性的改变是恶性雀斑样痣黑素瘤（LMM）和浅表扩散性黑素瘤（SSM）中黑素细胞表皮内生长不同模式的主要决定因素。它们似乎还会在恶性转化过程中影响黑色素和黑素小体的生物合成。使用针对黑素小体蛋白产生的单克隆抗体进行组织化学研究，对正常皮肤、发育异常性黑素细胞痣（DMN）、普通黑素细胞痣（CMN）、LMM和SSM的黑素细胞产生不同染色，研究结果表明，黑素小体合成改变是黑素细胞肿瘤转化病理生理学中的主要表型。黑色素合成改变也可能影响恶性黑素瘤的致癌作用：恶性黑素瘤和DMN中褐黑素增加，但正常皮肤和CMN中未增加。在家族性DMN综合征中，褐黑素及其前体可能通过产生诱变紫外线光产物来辅助黑素细胞的恶性转化。
