Genetic control of the population size of the melanocyte in the mouse epidermis
1987 年 62 巻 2 号 p. 149-158
詳細
1987 年 62 巻 2 号 p. 149-158
Hair bulb melanocytes involved in the expression of the coat colors of mice are derived from epidermal melanocytes. The biological study of epidermal melanocytes is important to understand the expression of the coat color. Analysis of the melanocyte and melanoblast-melanocyte population in the mouse epidermis has shown marked strain differences, suggesting that the two populations are regulated by genetic factors. From the results of genetic crosses between C57BL/1OJ and C3H/He mice semidominant genes were shown to be involved in regulating the two populations. The two populations in C57BL/1OJ-A/A congenic mouse did not differ from those in C57BL/1OJ. The distributions of the two populations in C3H/He were gradually transferred to those in C57BL/1OJ by repeated backcrossing.
The semidominant genes are thought to affect the melanocyte proliferation, melanocyte differentiation, or induction of tyrosinase activity by MSH. Such effects may change the pigmentation in the hair bulb and produce a variety of the hair color intensity of mice, which may in turn be influenced by selection, mutation, random mating, and environment.
