Site-specificity of the human fetal melanocyte

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25860963
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Dermatology
• Research Institution: Nagoya City University
• Principal Investigator: Nakamura Motoki 名古屋市立大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (70645051)
• Research Collaborator: MORITA Akimichi 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学, 教授 (30264732) ; SUGIURA Mayumi 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・産科婦人科, 教授 (30264740) ; YAMAGUCHI Yuji 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学, 准教授 (00335340) ; NISHIDA Emi 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学, 助教 (80597534) ; KATO Hiroshi 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学, 助教 (30570709) ; FURUHASHI Takuya 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学 (40623476) ; TORII Kan 名古屋市立大学, 大学院医学研究科・加齢環境皮膚科学 ; Fukunaga-Kalabis Mizuho The Wistar Institute, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program ; MIZUNO Toshihiko 産科婦人科水野クリニック, 院長
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: メラノサイト / メラノブラスト / 足底 / 幹細胞 / 胎児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We obtained 4-mm punch biopsies from the scalp, back, abdomen, and right sole of 36 aborted fetuses (gestational age 12-21 weeks). We compared the migration process between hairly areas and volar areas by immunohistochamical staining. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that gp100 (HMB-45) sensitively detects human melanocytes in embryogenesis. Melanocytes were present at the epidermal base, where hair placodes/buds form at 12-15 weeks gestation. Fetal melanocytes in hair follicles are supplied from the epidermis. In volar skin, melanocytes originally localize only in the acrosyringium, where they migrate deeper into with gland development at 16-18 weeks gestation. Palmoplantar melanocyte migration and maturation processes differ considerably from those of the other hairy skin sites. Eccrine sweat glands seem to have a central role in the palmoplantar melanocyte migration process, similar to the role of hair follicles in hairy sites.

Free Research Field

皮膚科学