Abstract：
Melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells, are replenished from multiple stem cell niches in adult tissue. Although pigmentation traits are known risk factors for melanoma, we know little about melanocyte stem cell (McSC) populations other than hair follicle McSCs and lack key lineage markers with which to identify McSCs and study their function. Here we find that Tfap2b and a select set of target genes specify an McSC population at the dorsal root ganglia in zebrafish. Functionally, Tfap2b is required for only a few late-stage embryonic melanocytes, and is essential for McSC-dependent melanocyte regeneration. Fate mapping data reveal that tfap2b+ McSCs have multifate potential, and are the cells of origin for large patches of adult melanocytes, two other pigment cell types (iridophores and xanthophores), and nerve-associated cells. Hence, Tfap2b confers McSC identity in early development, distinguishing McSCs from other neural crest and pigment cell lineages, and retains multifate potential in the adult zebrafish.
摘要：
黑素细胞,产生色素的细胞，从成人组织中的多个干细胞生态位补充。虽然色素沉着特征是黑色素瘤的已知危险因素，我们对黑素细胞干细胞（McSC）群体知之甚少，而不是毛囊McSCs，缺乏关键的谱系标记来识别McSCs和研究其功能。在这里，我们发现Tfap2b和一组选定的靶基因在斑马鱼的背根神经节指定了McSC种群。功能上,只有少数晚期胚胎黑素细胞需要Tfap2b，并且是McSC依赖性黑素细胞再生所必需的。命运映射数据显示，tfap2b+McSCs具有多种命运潜能，是成年黑素细胞大片的起源细胞，另外两种色素细胞类型（虹膜和黄花科），和神经相关细胞.因此，Tfap2b在早期开发中赋予了McSC身份，将McSCs与其他神经c和色素细胞谱系区分开来，并保留成年斑马鱼的多种潜能。
