Enzymatic control of pigmentation in mammals

Abstract

Visible pigmentation in mammals results from the synthesis and distribution of melanin in the skin, hair bulbs, and eyes. The melanins are produced in melanocytes and can be of two basic types: eumelanins, which are brown or black, and phaseomelanins, which are red or yellow. In mammals typically there are mixtures of both types. The most essential enzyme in this melanin biosynthetic pathway is tyrosinase and it is the only enzyme absolutely required for melanin production. However, recent studies have shown that mammalian melanogenesis is not regulated solely by tyrosinase at the enzymatic level, and have identified additional melanogenic factors that can modulate pigmentation in either a positive or negative fashion. In addition, other pigment-specific genes that are related to tyrosinase have been cloned which encode proteins that apparently work together at the catalytic level to specify the quantity and quality of the melanins synthesized. Future research should provide a greater understanding of the enzymatic interactions, processing, and tissue specificity that are important to pigmentation in mammals.