title: Schwann cell precursors from nerve innervation are a cellular origin of melanocytes in skin.
abstract: Current opinion holds that pigment cells, melanocytes, are derived from neural crest cells produced at the dorsal neural tube and that migrate under the epidermis to populate all parts of the skin. Here, we identify growing nerves projecting throughout the body as a stem/progenitor niche containing Schwann cell precursors (SCPs) from which large numbers of skin melanocytes originate. SCPs arise as a result of lack of neuronal specification by Hmx1 homeobox gene function in the neural crest ventral migratory pathway. Schwann cell and melanocyte development share signaling molecules with both the glial and melanocyte cell fates intimately linked to nerve contact and regulated in an opposing manner by Neuregulin and soluble signals including insulin-like growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor. These results reveal SCPs as a cellular origin of melanocytes, and have broad implications on the molecular mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation during development, in health and pigmentation disorders.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Adameyko
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lallemend
authors.forename: Jorge B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Aquino
authors.forename: Jorge A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Topilko
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beljajeva
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mochii
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liste
authors.forename: Dmitry
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Usoskin
authors.forename: Ueli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Suter
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Birchmeier
authors.forename: Patrik
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ernfors
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D009457:Neuroglia; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C529125:NKX5-3 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3