The mechanisms that regulate skin pigmentation have been the subject of intense research in recent decades. In contrast with melanin biogenesis and transport within melanocytes, little is known about how melanin is transferred and processed within keratinocytes. Several models have been proposed for how melanin is transferred, with strong evidence supporting coupled exo/endocytosis. Recently, two reports suggest that upon internalization, melanin is stored within keratinocytes in an arrested compartment, allowing the pigment to persist for long periods. In this commentary, we identify a striking parallelism between melanin processing within keratinocytes and the host-pathogen interaction with Plasmodium, opening new avenues to understand the complex molecular mechanisms that ensure skin pigmentation and photoprotection.

中文翻译：

---

角质形成细胞的黑色素加工：宿主-病原体相互作用的非微生物类型？

近几十年来，调节皮肤色素沉着的机制一直是研究的主题。与黑色素在黑色素细胞内的生物发生和运输相反，对黑色素如何在角质形成细胞内转移和加工知之甚少。已经提出了几种黑色素如何转移的模型，有力的证据支持偶联的胞吐/胞吞作用。最近，有两个报道表明，内化作用后，黑色素被储存在角质形成细胞内的一个被捕的隔室中，从而使色素能够长期存在。在这篇评论中，我们确定了角质形成细胞内黑色素加工与疟原虫与宿主-病原体相互作用之间惊人的相似性，为理解确保皮肤色素沉着和光保护的复杂分子机制开辟了新途径。