title: Has removal of excess cysteine led to the evolution of pheomelanin? Pheomelanogenesis as an excretory mechanism for cysteine.
abstract: Pheomelanogenesis may have evolved as an excretory mechanism to remove excess cysteine, and in humans this might potentially confer a greater ability to avoid disease such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, in which excess cysteine is a contributory cause.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud 11, Orsay, France. ismael.galvan@u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galván
authors.forename: Ghanem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghanem
authors.forename: Anders P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Møller
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003545:Cysteine / Q000378:metabolism*; D050558:Cysteine Dioxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008543:Melanins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013696:Temperature; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; C018362:pheomelanin; D050558:Cysteine Dioxygenase; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine