Modulated by is Involved in Pigmentation in Rabbit.

Solute carrier family 7 member 11 () is a cystine/glutamate xCT transporter that controls the production of pheomelanin pigment to change fur and skin color in animals. Previous studies have found that skin expression levels of varied significantly with fur color in Rex rabbits. However, the molecular regulation mechanism of in pigmentation is unknown. Here, rabbit melanocytes were first isolated and identified. The distribution and expression pattern of was confirmed in skin from rabbits with different fur colors. affected the expression of pigmentation related genes and thus affected melanogenesis. Meanwhile, decreased melanocyte apoptosis, but inhibition of enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, the protein was found to bind to the -713 to -703 bp region of promoter to inhibit its activity in a dual-luciferase reporter and site-directed mutagenesis assay. This study reveals the function of the in melanogenesis and provides in-depth analysis of the mechanism of fur pigmentation.