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Afib triggered by a cell that resembles a pigment-producing skin cell
October 13, 2009The source and mechanisms underlying the abnormal heart beats that initiate atrial fibrillation (Afib), the most common type of abnormal heart beat, have not been well determined. However, a group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, has now identified a population of cells that are like pigment producing cells in the skin (melanocytes) in the atria of the heart and pulmonary veins of mice and humans and uncovered evidence in mice that these cells contribute to Afib.
Initial analysis by the group, led by Vickas Patel and Jonathan Epstein, identified a population of cells in the atrium and pulmonary veins of mice and humans that expressed the protein DCT, which is involved in making the skin pigment melanin. Further work showed that Dct-expressing cells in the mouse heart were distinct from both heart muscle cells and skin melanocytes, although they could conduct electrical currents, which are important for coordinated contraction of the heart.
Adult mice lacking Dct were susceptible to induced and spontaneous Afib and the melanocyte-like cells in their heart exhibited abnormal conduction of electrical currents in vitro. As mice lacking both melanocyte-like cells in the heart and Dct failed to develop either induced or spontaneous Afib, the authors suggest that dysfunctional melanocyte-like cells in the heart may be a trigger of Afib in humans.
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Melanocytes Current Events and Melanocytes News RSSNew findings on the formation of body pigment
The skin's pigment cells can be formed from completely different cells than has hitherto been thought, a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows. The results, which are published in the journal Cell, also mean the discovery of a new kind of stem cell.
Novel epigenetic markers of melanoma may herald new treatments for patients
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, diagnosed in more than 50,000 new patients in the United States annually. While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on to find the genetic and cellular changes driving melanoma and to devise new means of detection and treatment.
Zebrafish provide a model for cancerous melanoma in humans
In a new study published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, scientists use the zebrafish to gain insight into the influence of known cancer genes on the development and progression of melanoma, an aggressive form of human skin cancer with limited treatment options.
Scientists create mouse model of melanoma that generates hope for the use of targeted therapies
Researchers have developed a new mouse model that allows them to replicate normal pigment cells at the earliest stages of conversion to malignant skin cancer in humans.
UBC researchers discover gene mutation that causes eye cancer
A University of British Columbia geneticist has discovered a gene mutation that can cause the most common eye cancer - uveal melanoma.
NYU researchers demonstrate activity of mebendazole in metastatic melanoma
Researchers at the NYU Cancer Institute and the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology have identified mebendazole, a drug used globally to treat parasitic infections, as a novel investigational agent for the treatment of chemotherapy-resistant malignant melanoma.
Research Suggests New Options in Treating Skin Pigment Problems
Melanocytes are not the only cells responsible for differences in skin coloration. New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) has shown that some of the most basic cells on the skin's surface influence pigment production and help regulate skin coloration.
Scientists Implicate Gene in Vitiligo and Other Autoimmune Diseases
In a study appearing in the March 22 New England Journal of Medicine, scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) have discovered a connection between a specific gene and the inflammatory skin condition vitiligo, as well as a possible host of autoimmune diseases.
'Guardian of the genome' protein found to underlie skin tanning
A protein known as the "master watchman of the genome" for its ability to guard against cancer-causing DNA damage has been found to provide an entirely different level of cancer protection: By prompting the skin to tan in response to ultraviolet light from the sun, it deters the development of melanoma skin cancer, the fastest-increasing form of cancer in the world.
Why don't all moles progress to melanoma?
Everyone has moles. Most of the time, they are nothing but a cosmetic nuisance. But sometimes pigment-producing cells in moles called melanocytes start dividing abnormally to form a deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma.
More Melanocytes Current Events and Melanocytes News Articles
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From Melanocytes to Melanoma: The Progression to Malignancy by Vincent J. Hearing (Editor), Stanley P. L. Leong (Editor) Leading researchers and clinicians join forces to explain how malignant melanoma develops from its benign precursor cell type. The authors focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in melanogenesis, in the malignant transformation of melanocytes, and in the further progression of primary melanomas into invasive and metastatic melanomas. They also review recent advances in our understanding of the basic biology of melanocytes and the development, migration, and differentiation of melanoblasts into melanocytes. The book provides an up-to-date understanding of the progressive mechanisms of oncological development in malignant melanoma, a likely model of malignant progress for other types of cancer, and the ongoing development of novel therapeutics. |
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Tar product tackles hypopigmentation quickly. (Direct Effect on Melanocytes).(V-Tar from Dermasave Labs): An article from: Skin & Allergy News by Norra MacReady (Author) This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by International Medical News Group on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 529 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Tar product tackles hypopigmentation quickly. (Direct Effect on Melanocytes).(V-Tar from Dermasave Labs) Author: Norra MacReady Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal) Date: March 1, 2002 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Page: 39(1) Distributed by Thomson... | |
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Laser Bioeffects: Differential Protein Expression of Cultured Human Melanocytes Treated With 532 nm Picosecond Pulse Laser-Light by Daniel R. Lykins (Author) This is a AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSONAFB OH report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A821204. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The use of laser light for targeting devices and industry has dramatically increased the likelihood that personnel will be exposed to laser energy during military and commercial operations. The increased potential for exposure of humans to lasers highlights the need to understand laser-tissue interactions at the most basic cell and molecular levels. Current ultrashort pulse laser safety standards are based on a... |
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Melanoblasts and Melanocytes in Fetal Negro Skin by Arnold A. And Becker, Jr. , Samuel Zimmermann (Author) | |
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Unique Properties of Melanocytes (Pigment Cell, Houston Conference, Part 2, vol. 3) by V. Riley (Editor) | |
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Vitiligo & Piebaldism: Treatment of Leucoderma by Transplantation of Autologous Melanocytes (Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine, 1061) by Mats J., Ph.D. Olsson (Author) | |
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Melanocytes: Webster's Timeline History, 1955 - 2007 by Icon Group International (Author) Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Melanocytes," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Melanocytes in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Melanocytes when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social... |
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Biology of normal and abnormal melanocytes by University Park Press (Publisher) | |
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Stem cell stress leads way to gray: study traces how hair loses color-providing melanocytes.(Body & Brain): An article from: Science News by Laura Sanders (Author) This digital document is an article from Science News, published by Science Service, Inc. on July 4, 2009. The length of the article is 412 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Stem cell stress leads way to gray: study traces how hair loses color-providing melanocytes.(Body & Brain) Author: Laura Sanders Publication: Science News (Magazine/Journal) Date: July 4, 2009 Publisher: Science Service, Inc. Volume: 176 Issue: 1 Page: 12(1) Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage... | |
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Intact epidermal grafting aids melanocyte transfer. (TX for Vitiligo of the Labial Mucosa).: An article from: Skin & Allergy News by Nancy Walsh (Author) This digital document is an article from Skin & Allergy News, published by International Medical News Group on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 1627 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser. Citation Details Title: Intact epidermal grafting aids melanocyte transfer. (TX for Vitiligo of the Labial Mucosa). Author: Nancy Walsh Publication: Skin & Allergy News (Magazine/Journal) Date: December 1, 2002 Publisher: International Medical News Group Volume: 33 Issue: 13 Page: 17(1) Distributed by Thomson... |
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