Work

Lighting a path to pigmentation: mechanisms of MITF induction by UV

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: While sunlight is important for life, ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can have harmful and mutagenic effects. This duality is particularly relevant to human skin, in which UVR both participates in evolutionarily important photochemical reactions yet may act as a potential carcinogen. UVR can upregulate production of melanin, the "tanning response" that serves a photoprotective function. This genetic program is centrally tuned by the transcription factor MITF, a master regulator of melanogenesis and melanocyte function. In this review, we discuss the myriad consequences of UV exposure for skin homeostasis, highlighting the diverse pathways activated by this ultraviolet radiation.

Source: Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-148x.2010.00775.x

Authors: Jue J. Liu, David E. Fisher

Institutions: Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital

Language: English

Topic: melanin and skin pigmentation

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases