John Ku
United Kingdom
Research Article
Distribution and Extracellular Matrix Environment of Premelanoblasts during Skin Development in Xiphophorus Hybrids
Author(s): John Ku and Ahmed HK El-HashashJohn Ku and Ahmed HK El-Hashash
Neural crest cells give rise to melanoblasts that invade the dermis and epidermis to differentiate into melanocytes that can develop melanoma, which is one of the most aggressive forms of human cancer. Identification of mechanisms important for the initial development of melanoma is hampered because of the difficulty in studying them in transgenic mice with melanoma. In addition, there is only fragmentary knowledge about the histochemical and biochemical changes that accompany the very early stages of neural crest/premelanoblast invasion into the skin, which may later develop melanoma, in the naturally occurring melanoma models such as Xiphophorus fish hybrids. Herein, we used Xiphophorus hybrid fish to investigate the distribution and extracellular matrix (ECM) environment of premelanoblasts during early stages of skin development, and to test the hypothesis that there are parallels .. View More»
