Abstract：
Human pigmentary disorders encompass a broad spectrum of phenotypic changes arising from disruptions in various stages of melanocyte formation, the melanogenesis process, or the transfer of pigment from melanocytes to keratinocytes. A large number of pigmentation genes associated with pigmentary disorders have been identified, many of them awaiting in vivo confirmation. A more comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of pigmentary disorders requires a vertebrate animal model where changes in pigmentation are easily observable in vivo and can be combined to genomic modifications and gain/loss-of-function tools. Here we present the amphibian Xenopus with its unique features that fulfill these requirements. Changes in pigmentation are particularly easy to score in Xenopus embryos, allowing whole-organism based phenotypic screening. The development and behavior of Xenopus melanocytes closely mimic those observed in mammals. Interestingly, both Xenopus and mammalian skins exhibit comparable reactions to ultraviolet radiation. This review highlights how Xenopus constitutes an alternative and complementary model to the more commonly used mouse and zebrafish, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in melanocyte cell biology and related diseases.
摘要：
人类色素性疾病包括由黑素细胞形成的各个阶段的破坏引起的广泛的表型变化。黑色素生成过程，或色素从黑素细胞转移到角质形成细胞。已经鉴定出大量与色素性疾病相关的色素沉着基因,他们中的许多人等待体内确认。对色素性疾病的分子基础的更全面了解需要脊椎动物模型，其中色素沉着的变化在体内很容易观察到，并且可以与基因组修饰和功能获得/丧失工具相结合。在这里，我们介绍了满足这些要求的两栖动物非洲爪狼的独特功能。在非洲爪狼胚胎中，色素沉着的变化特别容易评分，允许基于全生物体的表型筛选。非洲爪狼黑素细胞的发育和行为与哺乳动物中观察到的那些紧密相似。有趣的是,非洲爪狼和哺乳动物皮肤对紫外线辐射表现出相当的反应。这篇综述强调了非洲爪鱼如何构成更常用的小鼠和斑马鱼的替代和补充模型，有助于提高黑素细胞生物学和相关疾病的知识。
