Tradition of pigment cell research at Charles University in Prague

A short review on the history of pigment cell research at Charles University (Ch.U.) in Prague is presented. The famous Czech physiologist and professor J.E. Purkyne started the pigment cell research at Ch.U. already in 1837. He discovered melanin granules in the cells of substantia nigra of the brain. Later, in 1858, a Czech professor of medicine at Ch.U., B. Eiselt, as the first, described melanogenuria in 3 patients with generalized melanoma. Also some German professors at Ch.U. contributed to the research of melanins and melanogenuria in the past, especially H. Waelsch (1932). After the World War II, a Czech professor of medical chemistry at Ch.U., A.F. Richter with his young assistant J. Duchon continued in the chemical exploration of melanins (1954) and J.D. with Z. Pechan, B. Matous and S. Pavel devoted their attention to melanogenuria in melanoma patients (1962-1980). In 1967 they identified 2 new metabolites in melanoma urine: 5-hydroxy-6-methoxy and 6-hydroxy-5-methoxy-indole-2-carboxylic acids. J. Duchon with J. Borovanský and P. Hach also studied morphology and chemical composition of different melanosomes (1972-1979) and brought the first evidence that melanosomes consist of several proteins (1972). In 1980's 4 groups devoted to the pigment cell research and originated from Ch.U. were formed. The groups of J.B., of B.M. and of J. Vachtenheim in Prague and the group of S.P. who moved to the Netherlands (Leiden). As for the clinical aspects of the pigment cell research, the s.c. Hermanský-Pudlák syndrome published in 1959 and the histopathological classification of malignant melanomas estimated by J. Trapl (1957), should be mentioned. Therefore it is not surprising that, as a result of the tradition of pigment cell research at Ch.U., the 3rd European Workshop on Melanin Pigmentation was held in Prague already in 1981 and that, in 1998 again, Ch.U. was entrusted with the arrangement of the 8th Meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research at the occasion of the Ch.U. 650th anniversary.