Neuffer Sam J, Cooper Cynthia D
School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Mar 30;14(7):1752. doi: 10.3390/cancers14071752.
Melanin is the pigment that protects DNA from ultraviolet (UV) damage by absorbing excess energy. Melanin is produced in a process called melanogenesis. When melanogenesis is altered, diseases such as albinism result. Albinism can result in an increased skin cancer risk. Conversely, black pigment cell (melanocyte) development pathways can be misregulated, causing excessive melanocyte growth that leads to melanoma (cancer of melanocytes). Zebrafish is an emerging model organism used to study pigment disorders due to their high fecundity, visible melanin development in melanophores (melanocytes in mammals) from 24 h post-fertilization, and conserved melanogenesis pathways. Here, we reviewed the conserved developmental pathways in zebrafish melanophores and mammalian melanocytes. Additionally, we summarized the progress made in understanding pigment cell disease and evidence supporting the strong potential for using zebrafish to find novel treatment options for albinism.
黑色素是一种色素，它通过吸收多余能量来保护DNA免受紫外线（UV）损伤。黑色素在一个称为黑色素生成的过程中产生。当黑色素生成发生改变时，就会导致白化病等疾病。白化病会增加患皮肤癌的风险。相反，黑色色素细胞（黑素细胞）的发育途径可能会失调，导致黑素细胞过度生长，进而引发黑色素瘤（黑素细胞癌）。斑马鱼是一种新兴的模式生物，因其繁殖力高、受精后24小时即可在黑素细胞（哺乳动物中的黑素细胞）中观察到可见的黑色素发育以及保守的黑色素生成途径，而被用于研究色素紊乱。在此，我们综述了斑马鱼黑素细胞和哺乳动物黑素细胞中保守的发育途径。此外，我们总结了在理解色素细胞疾病方面取得的进展，以及支持利用斑马鱼寻找白化病新治疗方案的强大潜力的证据。
