title: Shedding light on melanocyte pathobiology in vivo.
abstract: Cutaneous malignant melanoma is rapidly increasing in the developed world and continues to be a challenge in the clinic. Although extensive epidemiologic evidence points to solar UV as the major risk factor for melanoma, there is a significant gap in our knowledge about how this most ubiquitous environmental carcinogen interacts with the largest organ of the mammalian body (skin) at the microenvironmental and molecular level. We review some recent advances that have started to close this gap.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Biology & Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4264, USA. zaidir@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: M Raza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zaidi
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: De Fabo
authors.forename: Frances P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Merlino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004249:DNA Damage; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000502:physiology; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000209:etiology; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma