Zocco Manuel, Blanpain Cédric
Université Libre de Buxelles (ULB), Stem Cells and Cancer Laboratory, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
WELBIO, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium.
Genes Dev. 2017 Apr 15;31(8):721-723. doi: 10.1101/gad.300665.117.
Melanocytes present in hair follicles are responsible for their pigmentation. Melanocyte differentiation and hair pigmentation depend on the stem cell factor (SCF)/c-Kit signaling pathway, but the niche that regulates melanocyte differentiation is not well characterized. In this issue of , Liao and colleagues (pp. 744-756) identify Krox20-derived cells of the hair shaft as the niche and the essential source of SCF required for melanocyte maturation. This study delineates the niche factors regulating melanocyte differentiation and hair pigmentation and opens up new avenues to further characterize the cross-talk between the hair follicle and melanocytes that controls melanocyte maintenance and differentiation.
毛囊中的黑素细胞负责其色素沉着。黑素细胞分化和毛发色素沉着依赖于干细胞因子（SCF）/c-Kit信号通路，但调节黑素细胞分化的微环境尚未得到充分表征。在本期杂志中，廖及其同事（第744 - 756页）确定毛干中源自Krox20的细胞为微环境以及黑素细胞成熟所需SCF的重要来源。这项研究描绘了调节黑素细胞分化和毛发色素沉着的微环境因子，并开辟了新途径，以进一步表征控制黑素细胞维持和分化的毛囊与黑素细胞之间的相互作用。
