Related Experiment Video For KROX20
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Feeder-free Derivation of Melanocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: March 3, 2016
Identifying the niche controlling melanocyte differentiation
Manuel Zocco1, Cédric Blanpain1,2
1Université Libre de Buxelles (ULB), Stem Cells and Cancer Laboratory, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Melanocytes present in hair follicles are responsible for their pigmentation. Melanocyte differentiation and hair pigmentation depend on the stem cell factor (SCF)/c-Kit signaling pathway, but the niche that regulates melanocyte differentiation is not well characterized. In this issue of Genes & Development, Liao and colleagues (pp. 744-756) identify Krox20+-derived cells of the hair shaft as the niche and the essential source of SCF required for melanocyte maturation. This study delineates the niche factors regulating melanocyte differentiation and hair pigmentation and opens up new avenues to further characterize the cross-talk between the hair follicle and melanocytes that controls melanocyte maintenance and differentiation.
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