title: Melanocytes in development, regeneration, and cancer.
abstract: The genes required for stem cell specification and lineage restriction during embryogenesis also play fundamental roles in adult tissue regeneration and cancer. This "development-regeneration-cancer" axis is exemplified by the vertebrate pigmentation system. Melanocytes exhibit almost unlimited self-renewal capacity during regenerative processes such as mammalian hair recoloration and zebrafish fin regeneration. Melanoma utilizes many regulatory signals and pathways required during ontogeny and regeneration. A discussion of these interconnections highlights how studies of stem cell function in embryonic and regenerative contexts can yield insights into melanoma biology.
authors.affiliation: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Medical Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Richard Mark
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Leonard I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Zon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012038:Regeneration; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology