IDENTIFICATION OF PROLIFERATIVE MELANOCYTE POPULATIONS

描述（来自应用程序）： 此应用程序的目的是为设计的研究提供支持 试图确定黑素细胞的可再生细胞群 是否存在黑素细胞前体， 潜力可以被隔离和传播。 遗传性疾病，如 眼皮肤白化病和后天性白癜风等疾病的特点 皮肤广泛脱色，导致的发病率包括 增加了对阳光的敏感性，更容易患皮肤癌。 此外，许多患有这些疾病的人在某些 社会在文化上受到排斥。 这些疾病的治疗 目前的管理基本上是无效的，目前的管理主要局限于 预防措施 治疗这些疾病的一种方法可能涉及转移 自体或非自体的黑素细胞前体 以促进正常黑素细胞在表皮的再生。 在遗传性色素性疾病中，基因转移技术可能有用 将患病个体中突变基因的正常拷贝， 转移前的黑素细胞前体。 为了开发这些技术， 必须能够识别黑素细胞干细胞群， 一种能够无限自我更新的细胞，或者一种未分化的黑色素细胞 前体群体能够在细胞培养物中大量增殖。 拟议的研究旨在鉴定此类细胞群，研究 培养中细胞持续生长的要求，并确定标记物 将它们与成熟的黑色素细胞区分开来， 与成年生物隔离。 因此，这些研究将采用小鼠模型来鉴定黑素细胞干细胞， 细胞和前体群体。 黑素细胞的现有标志物 分化和转基因标记将用于分离细胞 并研究其在细胞培养中的增殖潜力。 修饰剂对其增殖潜力的影响将被研究。 考察 最后，将对这些细胞群特异性的标记物进行标记。 鉴定

DESCRIPTION (from the application): The purpose of this application is to provide support for studies designed to attempt to identify whether a renewable cell population for melanocytes exists and whether melanocyte precursors with substantial proliferative potential can be isolated and propagated. Inherited diseases such as oculocutaneous albinism and acquired diseases such as vitiligo feature extensive depigmentation of the skin, with resulting morbidity that includes increased sun sensitivity and a greater predisposition to skin cancer. Additionally, many people who suffer from these disorders in certain societies are culturally ostracized. Treatment for these conditions at present is largely ineffective, and current management restricted mainly to preventive measures. One approach to the treatment of these conditions may involve the transfer of autologous or non-autologous melanocyte precursors to these individuals to facilitate the repopulation of their epidermis with normal melanocytes. In inherited pigmentary disorders, techniques of gene transfer may be useful to transfer normal copies of genes mutated in the afflicted individual to melanocyte precursors prior to transfer. To develop these techniques, it is necessary to be able to identify either a melanocyte stem cell population, one capable of unlimited self-renewal, or an undifferentiated melanocyte precursor population capable of substantial proliferation in cell culture. The proposed studies are designed to identify such cell populations, study the requirements for continued cell growth in culture, and identify markers distinguishing them from mature melanocytes that may facilitate their isolation from the adult organism. Hence, these studies will employ a murine model to identify melanocyte stem cell and precursor populations. Existing markers of melanocyte differentiation and transgenic markers will be employed to isolate cells from murine embryos and study their proliferative potential in cell culture. The effects of modifying agents on their proliferative potential will be examined. Finally, markers specific for these cell populations will be identified.