Protein Sorting In Pigment Cells Sheds Light On Melanoma, Alzheimer's Disease

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Posted: March 28, 2006


Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered how a protein called Pmel17 is sorted by pigment cells in the skin and eye to make a fiber matrix that eventually sequesters melanin, the dark pigment found in skin, hair, and eyes. Understanding the molecular steps prior to fiber formation – and when this process goes awry – may lead to a better understanding of melanoma and Alzheimer’s disease.