Derivation of melanocytes from embryonic stem cells in culture.
We report that embryonic stem (ES) cells were efficiently induced to differentiate to melanocytes in vitro. When undifferentiated ES cells were cocultured with a bone marrow-derived stromal cell line, a very small but significant number of melanocytes were reproducibly generated. This process was greatly enhanced by addition of dexamethasone to the culture and strictly depended on steel factor, the ligand for the c-Kit receptor tyrosine kinase. Expression of c-Kit on the precursor cells was confirmed by using SCL/tal-1-/- ES cells, which are defective for producing hematopoietic cells, which were thus ruled out as possible sources of nonmelanogenic c-Kit-expressing cells. The morphology, reactivity to growth factors, and expression of melanogenic markers of the cells generated all indicated unequivocally that these cells were melanocytes. This culture system may provide a potent tool for the study of development and function of melanocytes.
Yamane
T
T
Department of Immunology, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan.
Hayashi
S
S
Mizoguchi
M
M
Yamazaki
H
H
Kunisada
T
T
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D019334:Endothelin-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005838:Genotype; D007668:Kidney; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics*; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000172:deficiency / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D003907:Dexamethasone; D019334:Endothelin-3; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C489366:Tal1 protein, mouse