Melanocytes are pigment-producing cells
originated from the neural crest. Epidermal melanocytes contribute to
photoprotection and thermoregulation by packaging melanin pigment
intomelanosomes and sending them to keratinocytes. There are still many gaps in
the understanding of early events of melanocyte differentiation and advanced
melanoma regarding genetic and molecular processes. In this review, the authors
present a summary of the main aspects of the melanocyte biology and its
relation with the melanoma etiology, which are of major importance for guiding
novel therapies development and to well understand this disease.
Cite this paper
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