melanin and skin pigmentation

Skin color in mammals is produced primarily by melanin, a pigment synthesized inside specialized cells called melanocytes through a biochemical pathway centered on the enzyme tyrosinase. The amount, type, and distribution of melanin are governed by a layered network of genetic and hormonal signals, and the pigment itself serves a critical protective function by absorbing ultraviolet radiation before it can damage cellular DNA. Researchers are working to understand why disruptions to this system—as seen in conditions like vitiligo, where melanocytes are selectively destroyed—occur and how they might be corrected, while evolutionary biologists trace how variation in pigmentation genes tracks with ancestral UV exposure across human populations. Open questions include precisely how the immune system is implicated in melanocyte loss and how multiple genetic variants combine to produce the continuous spectrum of skin tones observed across and within populations.

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Keywords

MelaninPigmentationMelanocyteRegulationTyrosinaseUV Damage