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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Laser Microdissection-Based Protocol for the LC-MS/MS Analysis of the Proteomic Profile of Neuromelanin Granules
Published on: December 16, 2021
Melanin: Nature's 4th bioorganic polymer
1Center for Photonics and 2D Materials, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutsky Lane 9, Dolgoprudny 141701, Moscow Region, Russia. k.a.motovilov@gmail.com.
Abstract:
The pigments known as the melanins are widely recognized for their responsibility in the coloration of human skin, eyes, hair, and minimising the harmful effects of solar ultraviolet radiation. But specialists are aware that the melanins are present in all living kingdoms, barring viruses, and have functionality that extends beyond neutralizing ionising radiation. The ubiquitous presence of melanin in almost all human organs, recognized in recent years, as well as the presence of melanin in organisms that are evolutionarily distant from each other, indicate the fundamental importance of this class of material for all life forms. In this review, we argue for the need to accept melanins as the fourth primordial class of biological polymers, along with nucleic acids, proteins and polysaccharides. We consistently compare the properties of these canonical biological polymers with the properties of melanin and highlight key features that fundamentally distinguish melanins, their function and its mysteries.
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