Xenopus as a model system for studying pigmentation and pigmentary disorders

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 dis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pigment cell and melanoma research 2025-01, Vol.38 (1), p.e13178
Main Authors: El Mir, Joudi, Nasrallah, Ali, Thézé, Nadine, Cario, Muriel, Fayyad-Kazan, Hussein, Thiébaud, Pierre, Rezvani, Hamid-Reza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disease Models, Animal
Humans
Melanocytes - metabolism
Melanocytes - pathology
Pigmentation - genetics
Pigmentation Disorders - genetics
Pigmentation Disorders - pathology
Review
Skin Pigmentation - genetics
Xenopus
Xenopus laevis
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1755-148X
1755-1471
1755-148X
DOI:10.1111/pcmr.13178