Dictionary > Melanophore

Melanophore

Definition
noun, plural: melanophores
A type of pigment cell that, in particular, produce and store melanin
Supplement
Pigment-producing cells (chromatophores) may be classified based on the colors (or hue under white light) of the pigment the cells produce: (1) xanthophores (yellow), (2) erythrophores (red), (3) iridophores (reflective / iridescent), (4) leucophores (white), (5) melanophores (black/brown), and (5) cyanophores (blue). These pigments occur in cold-blooded vertebrates. Mammals, including humans, and other warm-blooded animals have only melanophores. Melanophores are a type of chromatophore that produce and store melanin. According to Thody and Shuster, melanophores in the skin may be further divided into two types based on their location: dermal melanophores and epidermal melanophores (melanocytes).1
A dermal melanophore is a melanophore located in the dermal layer of the skin. This type of melanophore is common in cold-blooded vertebrates and accounts for the rapid, chromomotor colour changes in these animals.1 An epidermal melanophore is found in the epidermal layer. Unlike dermal melanophore, an epidermal melanophore is not associated with rapid chromomotor colour changes but with the pigmentation of hair and skin. This type of melanophore is common in mammals. It is also referred to as melanocyte. This cell is involved in the mobilization of melanosomes into neighboring keratinocytes. 1 Melanogenesis is the process of producing melanin. The production of melanin on skin is a means of the body to protect the underlying skin layer such as the hypodermis from adverse effects (e.g. DNA photodamage) of UV-B light exposure. The black (or dark brown) pigment allows the absorption of the majority of the UV-B light passing through the skin layer.2 Thus, increased exposure to UV-B radiation leads to heightened melanogenesis. Apart from the skin, the melanocytes can also be found in the uveal layer of the eye, the inner ear, the meninges, the heart, and the bones.
See also:

Related term(s):

  • Teleost melanophore
  • Reference(s):

    1 Thody, A.J., Shuster, S. (1989) Melanophores, Melanocytes and Melanin: Endocrinology and Pharmacology. In: Greaves M.W., Shuster S. (eds) Pharmacology of the Skin I. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 87 / 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

    2 Agar, N. & Young, A. R. (2005). “Melanogenesis: a photoprotective response to DNA damage?”. Mutation Research. 571 (1–2): 121–32.


    You will also like...

    DNA molecule
    Genetic Control – On and Off Genes

    Genes are the blueprint of our bodies, a blueprint that creates a variety of proteins essential to any organism's surviv..

    Salmon jumping upstream in the river
    Lotic Communities & Animals

    A running water environment offers numerous microhabitats for many types of animals. Similar to plants, animals in lotic..

    3D rendering of an antibody
    Passive and Active Types of Immunity

    Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell capable of producing a specific immune response to unique antigens. In thi..

    Human Nervous System
    The Human Nervous System

    The nervous system is essentially a biological information highway. This tutorial gives an overview of the nervous syste..

    Crossing Over and Genetic Diversity
    Inheritance and Probability

    Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk, is most famous in this field for his study of the phenotype of pea plants, including ..

    Angle Oak Tree
    Seed Plants

    Seed plants are vascular plants. They differ from the other vascular plants in producing seeds that germinate into a new..

    Related Articles...

    No related articles found

    See all Related Topics