• Antioxidant defense
• Drug delivery
• Imaging
• Melanin nanoparticles
• Photothermal therapy

• Melanins/chemistry
• Melanins/therapeutic use
• Humans
• Nanoparticles/chemistry
• Animals
• Neoplasms/drug therapy
• Neoplasms/therapy
• Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging
• Theranostic Nanomedicine
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Nanomedicine

• CIRSPR/Cas12a
• Carassius auratus
• Temperature

• Animals
• Gene Editing/methods
• Goldfish/genetics
• CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics
• Temperature
• Monophenol Monooxygenase/genetics
• CRISPR-Associated Proteins/genetics
• Bacterial Proteins
• Endodeoxyribonucleases

• Carya illinoinensis
• Colletotrichum fructicola
• UMI RNA-seq
• effectors
• immune response
• infection suppression

• bacteria & fungi
• biofilm
• cancer
• infection - immunology
• microorganisms
• pathogens
• subclinical infection
• tumor

• Humans
• Neoplasms/microbiology
• Neoplasms/immunology
• Neoplasms/metabolism
• Neoplasms/genetics
• Neoplasms/etiology
• Neoplasms/pathology
• Melanins/metabolism
• Melanins/immunology
• Macrophages/immunology
• Macrophages/metabolism
• Macrophages/microbiology
• Animals
• Mutation
• Microbiota
• Tumor Microenvironment
• Host-Pathogen Interactions

• Fitzpatrick skin type
• K-means clustering
• dermatology
• machine learning
• skin optical properties
• skin type classification

• Humans
• Machine Learning
• Skin Pigmentation
• Algorithms
• Skin
• Female
• Male
• Adult
• Middle Aged

• 1R41TR004320-01 National Institutes of Health National Center For Advancing Translational Science

• Evolutionary Biology
• Phylogeny
• Zoology

• drug–melanin complex
• hyperpigmentation
• hypopigmentation
• melanin
• melanocytes

• BNW-2-009/K/3/F Medical University of Silesia
• BNW-1-012/K/3/F Medical University of Silesia

• Blattella germanica
• RNAi
• courtship
• cuticle
• melanin
• pigmentation

• Animals
• Blattellidae/genetics
• Blattellidae/physiology
• Male
• Female
• Pigmentation/genetics
• Melanins/metabolism
• Insect Proteins/genetics
• Insect Proteins/metabolism
• Sexual Behavior, Animal
• RNA Interference

• Cyclin Dependent Kinases 5 (CDK5)
• Gene Expression Profile
• Melanogenesis
• Pigmentation

• 2023YB003 Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology
• 2023JK02 Special Project for Basic Scientific Research of Provincial Universities

• Sunscreen
• UV radiation.
• cosmetics
• melanoma
• photoprotection
• sunburns

• Sunscreening Agents/chemistry
• Sunscreening Agents/pharmacology
• Humans
• Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects
• Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control
• Skin Aging/drug effects
• Skin/drug effects
• Skin/radiation effects
• Animals

• cortex
• cuticle
• human scalp hair
• medulla
• trichology

• Hair/chemistry
• Humans
• Microscopy, Atomic Force
• Melanins
• Chemical Phenomena
• Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion/methods
• Rheology
• Spectrophotometry, Infrared/methods
• Lipids/analysis
• Lipids/chemistry
• Water
• Proteins/analysis

• black swan (Cygnus atratus)
• high-quality genome
• melanogenic pathway
• mute swan (Cygnus olor)
• plumage color

• Animals
• Birds
• Genome
• Genomics

• 202105AF150043 Yunnan Provincial Academicians and Experts Workstation Project

• chicken
• genome-wide association study
• k-means clustering
• plumage colour

DDX3 is a DEAD-box RNA helicase with diverse biological functions through multicellular pathways. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of DDX3 in regulating melanogenesis by the exploring signaling pathways involved. Various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were used to induce melanogenesis in SK-Mel-2 human melanoma cells. Melanin content assays, tyrosinase activity analysis, and Western blot analysis were performed to determine how DDX3 was involved in melanogenesis. Transient transfection was performed to overexpress or silence DDX3 genes. Immunoprecipitation was performed using an antityrosinase antibody. Based on the results of the cell viability test, melanin content, and activity of tyrosinase, a key melanogenesis enzyme, in SK-Mel-2 human melanoma cells, hydrogen peroxide at 0.1 mM was chosen to induce melanogenesis. Treatment with H₂O₂ notably increased the promoter activity of DDX3. After treatment with hydroperoxide for 4 h, melanin content and tyrosinase activity peaked in DDX3-transfected cells. Overexpression of DDX3 increased melanin content and tyrosinase expression under oxidative stress induced by H₂O₂. DDX3 co-immunoprecipitated with tyrosinase, a melanogenesis enzyme. The interaction between DDX3 and tyrosinase was strongly increased under oxidative stress. DDX3 could increase melanogenesis under the H₂O₂-treated condition. Thus, targeting DDX3 could be a novel strategy to develop molecular therapy for skin diseases.

• Humans
• Animals
• Melanins
• Hydrogen Peroxide/pharmacology
• Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism
• Melanoma
• DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism

• 1H NMR
• AFM
• Eumelanin
• FT-IR
• SEM
• XRD

Growing concern of antibiotic resistance has increased research efforts to find nonspecific treatments to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms. In this regard, photodynamic inactivation is a promising method. It is based on the excitation of a photosensitizer molecule (PS) with UV-Vis radiation to produce reactive oxygen species. The high reactivity of such species nearby the PS leads to oxidation of bacterial cell walls, lipid membranes (lipid peroxidation), enzymes, and nucleic acids, eventually producing cell death. In the last decade, many studies have been carried out with different photosensitizers to suppress the growth of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and malignant tumors. Here, our main motivation is to employ pheomelanin nanoparticles as sensitizers for inhibiting the growth of the Gram-negative bacteria E. coli, exposed to blue and UVA radiation. In order to perform our experiments, we synthesized pheomelanin nanoparticles from L-DOPA and L-cysteine through an oxidation process. We carried out experiments at different particle concentrations and different energy fluences. We found that cultures exposed to UVA at 166 μg/mL and 270 J/cm², in conjunction with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an enhancer, decreased in the viable count 5 log10. Different reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals, and peroxynitrates) were detected using different procedures. Our results suggest that the method reported here is effective against E. coli, which could encourage further investigations in other type of bacteria.

• Escherichia coli/metabolism
• Melanins
• Nanoparticles
• Photosensitizing Agents/metabolism
• Photosensitizing Agents/pharmacology
• Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism

• SEP-CONACyT
• Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología

• Celiac disease
• Dermatitis herpetiformis
• Gluten-free diet
• Vitiligo

• Amino acids
• Liquid chromatography
• Metabolomics
• Plasma
• Vitiligo

• Amino Acids
• Arginine
• Cysteine
• Glutamates
• Glycine
• Histidine
• Humans
• Lysine
• Metabolomics
• Ornithine
• Proline
• Vitiligo

• Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia
• University of Helsinki including Helsinki University Central Hospital

• melanin
• oxidative stress
• photoallergy
• photodegradation
• phototoxicity

• PCN-1-097/K/0/F, PCN-2-042/N/0/F Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny

• GNAI2
• apoptosis
• melanocyte
• proliferation

• Animals
• Apoptosis/physiology
• Cell Proliferation/physiology
• Cytoplasm/metabolism
• GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunit, Gi2/genetics
• GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunit, Gi2/metabolism
• GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunit, Gi2/physiology
• Gene Knockdown Techniques
• Hair Color
• Melanins/biosynthesis
• Melanocytes/cytology
• Melanocytes/metabolism
• Rabbits

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana L) fruit contains many xanthones in its pericarp, such as α-mangostin. Here, we aimed to elucidate the physiological effect of α-mangostin and the mechanism on melanogenesis in mouse B16F10 cells. The melanin production in B16F10 cells was decreased by α-mangostin treatment. α-Mangostin also suppressed the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase, the critical enzyme for melanin synthesis. Furthermore, Western blot analysis revealed that α-mangostin down-regulated the protein quantity of tyrosinase, tyrosinase relative protein (TRP)-2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). We also used inhibitors of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3β) to identify the upstream signaling cascade of MITF. Results showed us GSK3β plays a more important role in α-mangostin regulated melanogenesis. Further, the de-pigmentation effect on normal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs) of α-mangostin was also confirmed. These results suggested that α-mangostin is a reagent for depigmentation and it has the potential to be applied as a component of cosmetics or pharmaceuticals for the therapy of spots, chloasma, or melanosis.

α-Mangostin suppressed the melanin production in B16F10 cells.

• GSK-3β
• MITF
• Melanogenesis
• Tyrosinase
• α-Mangostin

• Environmental monitoring
• Hemosiderin
• Lipofuscin
• Liver
• Melano-macrophage centers
• Spleen
• Stereology
• Teleost

• Animals
• Bass
• Bays
• Environmental Monitoring
• Female
• Fish Diseases
• Macrophages
• Rivers
• Water Pollutants, Chemical

• Tyrosinase inhibitors
• molecular docking
• structure-activity relationship
• synthetic compounds

The coat colour of fallow deer is highly variable and even white animals can regularly be observed in game farming and in the wild. Affected animals do not show complete albinism but rather some residual pigmentation resembling a very pale beige dilution of coat colour. The eyes and claws of the animals are pigmented. To facilitate the conservation and management of such animals, it would be helpful to know the responsible gene and causative variant. We collected 102 samples from 22 white animals and from 80 animals with wildtype coat colour. The samples came from 12 different wild flocks or game conservations located in different regions of Germany, at the border to Luxembourg and in Poland. The genomes of one white hind and her brown calf were sequenced.

Based on a list of colour genes of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies (http://www.ifpcs.org/albinism/), a variant in the MC1R gene (NM_174108.2:c.143 T > C) resulting in an amino acid exchange from leucine to proline at position 48 of the MC1R receptor protein (NP_776533.1:p.L48P) was identified as a likely cause of coat colour dilution. A gene test revealed that all animals of the white phenotype were of genotype CC whereas all pigmented animals were of genotype TT or TC. The study showed that 14% of the pigmented (brown or dark pigmented) animals carried the white allele.

A genome-wide scan study led to a molecular test to determine the coat colour of fallow deer. Identification of the MC1R gene provides a deeper insight into the mechanism of dilution. The gene marker is now available for the conservation of white fallow deer in wild and farmed animals.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-020-00950-3.

• Fallow deer
• MC1R
• Next generation sequencing
• White coat colour

• Inhibitor
• Molecular mechanism
• Sour jujube
• Tyrosinase

The great northern snakehead (Channa argus) is one of the most important economic and conservational fish in China. In this study, the melanocytes in the skin of two distinct color morphs C. argus were investigated and compared through employment of the microscopic analysis, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson Fontana staining. Our results demonstrated the uneven distribution of melanocytes with extremely low density and most of them were in the state of aging or death. Meanwhile, there was no obvious pigment layer and melanocytes distribution pattern found in the albino-type (AT), while the melanocytes were evenly distributed with abundance in the bicolor-type (BT). The transcriptome analysis through Illumina HiSeq sequencing showed that a total of 34.93 Gb Clean Data was obtained, and Q30 base percentage reached 92.66%. The BT and AT northern snakeheads transcriptome data included a total of 56,039,701 and 60,410,063 clean reads (n = 3), respectively. In gene expression analyses, the sample correlation coefficients (r) were ranged between 0.92 and 1.00; the contribution of PC1 and PC2 were 50.25 and 13.73% by using PCA cluster analysis, the total number of DEGs were 1024 (559 up-regulated and 465 down-regulated), and the number of annotated DEGs was 767 (COG 172, KEGG 262, GO 288, SwissProt 548, Pfam 579 and NR 765). Additionally, 46,363 ± 873 and 44,947 ± 392 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were compiled via genetic structure analysis, respectively. Ten key pigment-related genes were screened using qRT-PCR. And all of them revealed extremely higher expression levels in the skin of BT than those of AT. This is the first study to analyze the mechanism of albino characteristics of Channa via histology and transcriptomics, and also provide the oretical and practical support for the protection and development of germplasm resources for C. argus.

• Channa argus
• albino
• gene expression
• histology
• transcription characterization

• Apoptosis
• KIT
• Melanocyte
• Melanogenesis
• Proliferation

• 27304C2054 NIEHS NIH HHS

Red deer with very pale coat colour are observed sporadically. In the red deer (Cervus elaphus) population of Reinhardswald in Germany, about 5% of animals have a white coat colour that is not associated with albinism. In order to facilitate the conservation of the animals, it should be determined whether and to what extent brown animals carry the white gene. For this purpose, samples of one white hind and her brown calf were available for whole genome sequencing to identify the single nucleotide polymorphism(s) responsible for the white phenotype. Subsequently, samples from 194 brown and 11 white animals were genotyped.

Based on a list of colour genes of the International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies, a non-synonymous mutation with exchange of a glycine residue at position 291 of the tyrosinase protein by arginine was identified as the cause of dilution of the coat colour. A gene test led to exactly matching genotypes in all examined animals. The study showed that 14% of the brown animals carry the white gene. This provides a simple and reliable way of conservation for the white animals. However, results could not be transferred to another, unrelated red deer population with white animals. Although no brown animals with a white tyrosinase genotype were detected, the cause for the white colouring in this population was different.

A gene test for the conservation of white red deer is available for the population of the Reinhardswald. While mutations in the tyrosinase are commonly associated with oculocutaneous albinism type 1, the amino acid exchange at position 291 was found to be associated with coat colour dilution in Cervus elaphus.

• Next generation sequencing
• Red deer
• White coat colour

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a key regulator for the development and function of melanocytes in skin, eye, and plumage pigmentations. Thus, the MITF was selected as a candidate gene associated with plumage coloration in ducks. This study analyzed the mRNA expression, promoter methylation, and polymorphisms in the MITF gene in ducks with different plumage colors (Putian Black, Putian White, Liancheng White, and Longsheng Jade-green). No expression of the MITF melanin-specific isoform (MITF-M) was detected in white feather bulbs. By contrast, the mRNA expression levels of MITF-M were high in black feather bulbs. Bioinformatics analysis showed that two CpG islands were present in the promoter region of the MITF gene. The methylation level of the second CpG island was significantly lower in black feather bulbs than in white feather bulbs. However, the methylation level of the first CpG island was not different among the feather bulbs with various colors except Liancheng White feather bulbs. The methylation status of the whole CpG island significantly and negatively correlated with the mRNA expression of MITF-M (P < 0.05). Furthermore, four novel SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) were identified in the 5′UTR, exon 4, intron 7, and intron 8 of the MITF gene. Allele T in g.39807T>G and allele G in g.40862G>A were the predominant alleles only found in Putian White, whereas the variant A allele in g.32813G>A exhibited a high allele frequency in Liancheng White. Collectively, these results contributed to the understanding of the function of the MITF gene in duck plumage coloration.

• celiac disease
• dermatitis herpetiformis
• generalized vitiligo
• sulfasalazine

Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (Slc7a11) 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 Slc7a11 varied significantly with fur color in Rex rabbits. However, the molecular regulation mechanism of Slc7a11 in pigmentation is unknown. Here, rabbit melanocytes were first isolated and identified. The distribution and expression pattern of Slc7a11 was confirmed in skin from rabbits with different fur colors. Slc7a11 affected the expression of pigmentation related genes and thus affected melanogenesis. Meanwhile, Slc7a11 decreased melanocyte apoptosis, but inhibition of Slc7a11 enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, the POU2F1 protein was found to bind to the −713 to −703 bp region of Slc7a11 promoter to inhibit its activity in a dual-luciferase reporter and site-directed mutagenesis assay. This study reveals the function of the Slc7a11 in melanogenesis and provides in-depth analysis of the mechanism of fur pigmentation.

• POU2F1
• Rex Rabbit
• Slc7a11
• melanocyte
• pigmentation

• Chicken
• MC1R, TYR and ASIP genes
• Plumage Color
• SNP

• AngII
• Coat color
• Hair bulb
• Sheep
• Skin

• Angiotensin II/metabolism
• Animals
• Blotting, Western
• Chromatography, Liquid
• Female
• Hair Color/physiology
• Hair Follicle/metabolism
• Immunohistochemistry
• Sheep
• Signal Transduction/physiology
• Skin/metabolism
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry

• CoQ10
• Nrf2
• UVA
• Zebrafish
• α-MSH

• Antioxidant enzymes
• Chlortetracycline
• Melanin
• Melanocyte
• Phototoxicity
• Tyrosinase

• Biopolymers/biosynthesis
• Biopolymers/pharmacology
• Catalase/metabolism
• Cell Survival/drug effects
• Cell Survival/radiation effects
• Cells, Cultured
• Chlortetracycline/chemistry
• Chlortetracycline/metabolism
• Chlortetracycline/pharmacokinetics
• Humans
• Melanins/metabolism
• Melanocytes/cytology
• Melanocytes/metabolism
• Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism
• Oxidative Stress
• Photosensitizing Agents
• Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism
• Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects

• Autofluorescence
• Choroid
• Fundus reflectometry
• Near-infrared
• Optical coherence tomography
• Photoacoustic
• Photothermal
• Polarization
• Retina
• Retinal pigment epithelium

Yeonsan Ogye is a rare Korean domestic chicken breed whose entire body, including feathers and skin, has a unique black coloring. Although some protein-coding genes related to this unique feature have been examined, non-coding elements have not been widely investigated. Thus, we evaluated coding and non-coding transcriptome expression and identified long non-coding RNAs functionally linked to protein-coding genes in Ogye. High-throughput RNA sequencing and DNA methylation sequencing were performed to profile the expression of 14,264 Ogye protein-coding and 6900 long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes and detect DNA methylation in 20 different tissues of an individual Ogye. Approximately 75% of Ogye lncRNAs and 45% of protein-coding genes showed tissue-specific expression. For some genes, tissue-specific expression levels were inversely correlated with DNA methylation levels in their promoters. Approximately 39% of tissue-specific lncRNAs displayed functional associations with proximal or distal protein-coding genes. Heat shock transcription factor 2-associated lncRNAs appeared to be functionally linked to protein-coding genes specifically expressed in black skin tissues, more syntenically conserved in mammals, and differentially expressed in black relative to in white tissues. Pending experimental validation, our findings increase the understanding of how the non-coding genome regulates unique phenotypes and can be used for future genomic breeding of chickens.

• black tissues
• chicken
• long non-coding RNA
• non-coding transcriptome
• tissue-specific genes

• Animals
• Chickens/genetics
• Chickens/metabolism
• Gene Expression Profiling
• Gene Expression Regulation/physiology
• Korea
• Organ Specificity/physiology
• RNA, Long Noncoding/biosynthesis
• RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics
• Transcriptome