The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Melanins: Skin Pigments and Much More—Types, Structural Models, Biological Functions, and Formation Routes
Open accessAbstract
This review presents a general view of all types of melanin in all types of organisms. Melanin is frequently considered just an animal cutaneous pigment and is treated separately from similar fungal or bacterial pigments. Similarities concerning the phenol precursors and common patterns in the formation routes are discussed. All melanins are formed in a first enzymatically-controlled phase, generally a phenolase, and a second phase characterized by an uncontrolled polymerization of the oxidized intermediates. In that second phase, quinones derived from phenol oxidation play a crucial role. Concerning functions, all melanins show a common feature, a protective role, but they are not merely photoprotective pigments against UV sunlight. In pathogenic microorganisms, melanization becomes a virulence factor since melanin protects microbial cells from defense mechanisms in the infected host. In turn, some melanins are formed in tissues where sunlight radiation is not a potential threat. Then, their redox, metal chelating, or free radical scavenging properties are more important than light absorption capacity. These pigments sometimes behave as a double-edged sword, and inhibition of melanogenesis is desirable in different cells. Melanin biochemistry is an active field of research from dermatological, biomedical, cosmetical, and microbiological points of view, as well as fruit technology.
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Cites
Mussel-inspired surface chemistry for multifunctional coatings
Lee, H., Dellatore, S. M., Miller, W. M., & Messersmith, P. B. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1147241 · Cited by 10,965
Melanocyte biology and skin pigmentation
Lin, J. Y., & Fisher, D. E. (2007) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05660 · Cited by 1,379 · cited 1×
“Many epidemiological studies have shown a lower incidence for skin cancer in individuals with high amount of melanin in the skin [13, 155].”
BackgroundGenetic determinants of hair, eye and skin pigmentation in Europeans
Sulem, P., Gudbjartsson, D. F., Stacey, S. N., Helgason, A., Rafnar, T., Magnusson, K. P., Manolescu, A., Karason, A., Palsson, A., Thorleifsson, G., et al. (2007) · Nature Genetics · doi:10.1038/ng.2007.13 · Cited by 750 · cited 1×
“” This is mostly due to the melanin diversity and its genetic determinants [12–15], although other biomolecules such as carotenoids, hemoglobin, and nutritional factors can also contribute in a certain extension to the skin, hair, and eye tone [16–18].”
BackgroundThe Adaptive Significance of Coloration in Mammals
CARO, T. (2005) · BioScience · doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0125:tasoci]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 589 · cited 1×
“The ratio of keratinocytes to melanocytes in the melanoepidermic unit changes in different skin patches and animals, and it is submitted to a genetic control, as it can be seen in beautiful nature examples, such as zebra, tiger, leopard, and giant panda [263].”
BackgroundColoration strategies in peacock feathers
Zi, J., Yu, X., Li, Y., Hu, X., Xu, C., Wang, X., Liu, X., & Fu, R. (2003) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2133313100 · Cited by 588
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Ionizing radiation: how fungi cope, adapt, and exploit with the help of melanin
Dadachova, E., & Casadevall, A. (2008) · Current Opinion in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2008.09.013 · Cited by 399 · cited 1×
“Those fungi colonize stations and are able to adapt morphologically to extreme conditions due to the eumelanin [199].”
BackgroundSimon, J. D., Peles, D., Wakamatsu, K., & Ito, S. (2009) · Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research · doi:10.1111/j.1755-148x.2009.00610.x · Cited by 391 · cited 1×
“There are detailed and updated reviews about HPLC quantitation, structure of those fragments, and their utility as markers for qualitative and quantitative melanin determination [10, 27, 28].”
BackgroundMolecular genetics of human pigmentation diversity
Sturm, R. A. (2009) · Human Molecular Genetics · doi:10.1093/hmg/ddp003 · Cited by 379
Melanoma induction by ultraviolet A but not ultraviolet B radiation requires melanin pigment
Noonan, F. P., Zaidi, M. R., Wolnicka-Glubisz, A., Anver, M. R., Bahn, J., Wielgus, A., Cadet, J., Douki, T., Mouret, S., Tucker, M. A., et al. (2012) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms1893 · Cited by 331 · cited 1×
“This mechanism is related to reactions involving directly melanin, as the pigment absorbs the energy from the radiation and originates free radicals and other injurious species [158].”
Background
Cited by
From Extraction to Advanced Analytical Methods: The Challenges of Melanin Analysis
Pralea, I.-E., Moldovan, R.-C., Petrache, A.-M., Ilieș, M., Hegheș, S.-C., Ielciu, I., Nicoară, R., Moldovan, M., Ene, M., Radu, M., et al. (2019) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms20163943 · Cited by 282
Challacombe, J. F., Hesse, C. N., Bramer, L. M., McCue, L. A., Lipton, M., Purvine, S., Nicora, C., Gallegos-Graves, L. V., Porras-Alfaro, A., & Kuske, C. R. (2019) · BMC Genomics · doi:10.1186/s12864-019-6358-x · Cited by 268
Recent Advances in a Polydopamine-Mediated Antimicrobial Adhesion System
Singh, I., Dhawan, G., Gupta, S., & Kumar, P. (2021) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.607099 · Cited by 163
The enigmatic world of fungal melanin: A comprehensive review
Suthar, M., Dufossé, L., & Singh, S. K. (2023) · Journal of Fungi · doi:10.3390/jof9090891 · Cited by 95
Fungal melanins and applications in healthcare, bioremediation and industry
Mattoon, E. R., Cordero, R. J. B., & Casadevall, A. (2021) · Journal of Fungi · doi:10.3390/jof7060488 · Cited by 67
Metadata
- Authors
- Solano, F.
- Venue
- New Journal of Science
- Publisher
- Hindawi Limited
- Published
- 2014-03-18
- Volume
- 2014
- Pages
- 1-28
- ISSN
- 2090-8520 (ISSN-L)
- 2356-7740
- OpenAlex
- W2027827700
- Cited by
- 565
- References
- 24
- FWCI
- 9.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
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Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
